Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt
by starofjustice
Summary: Some saw her as a chance to give courage back to a frightened people. Others saw her as a killer of their world's immortal rulers as the first to carry her mantle had been. The darkest saw a threat...and an opportunity. She saw a chance to show everyone who'd ever told her she didn't matter how wrong they were.
1. (Significator) Chapter 1: In the Cards

**Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Book One: Significator**

Reading One: In the Cards

Disclaimer: I don't own or make any claim of ownership of the Kamen Rider series. Kamen Rider Tarock and its characters belong to me, and may not be used without express permission. But don't be afraid to ask. I also don't necessarily share the beliefs of any character in my stories, and in the case of the ones in this story, don't necessarily endorse anything they do.

**Author's Note**: This is kind of an experiment with a kind of main character you don't usually see in these things. Hope you enjoy.

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><p>Roger was the first one to notice that day.<p>

Unfortunately for him, he was the slowest security guard on campus.

She had broken away from the crowd filing through the front doors and was only fifty feet from the curb when his cry of rage exploded across the lawn of Samuel Archer High School. He took off as she bent forward to go into a sprint, and he knew that if she got a chance to take off, the chase was already over.

An old blue car, probably a late student at the wheel, came speeding across the street in front of the school, right across her path. She didn't slow down at all, and Roger stopped and gaped at what he was sure was a vehicular homicide about to happen.

Seeing the girl about to jump into his path, the driver slammed on the brakes. She didn't stop, instead she jumped, slid across the hood of the car and automatically went into another run down an alley. Roger sighed and leaned against the fence.

Damn that kid. The only reason she waited until she was actually on campus to make a break for it was to make him and the other guards look that much worse. He was tempted to go over the vice principal's head and just let the cops take it from there.

She ran for another three blocks, weaving through the alleys, then got to another alley blocked by an old chain link fence. She climbed onto a stack of boxes next to it, jumped the fence, somersaulted as she landed and sprinted another block down to Marks Street, the one that ran next to the empty old culvert.

Everything was quiet. She knew better than to think she was home free yet, though. Somebody chasing her might've gone around the building to cut her off. Cautiously she looked around the side of the old brick building, but no one was in sight. She ran down the side of the culvert to a place where the fence was sagging and slid down the slanted surface to the bottom. Still running, she made it to the first overpass where the road crossed the culvert, and finally stopped to catch her breath.

It was only then that she truly noticed how cool the day was, or how thick the sheet of gray covering the sky. She'd been so focused on her need to spend a day anywhere but listening to a string of boring teachers, nothing else had really entered her mind except the details of her escape plan.

Looked like it was a good day; they'd given up quickly. The second time she'd had to run even farther than that. Maybe after the chewing out her parents had given the vice principal they'd decided it wasn't worth that AND making an honest effort to catch her and bring her back too.

Heh, Liss Decker. Truant officer's worst nightmare, huh?

Still, just because they'd abandoned the chase didn't mean it was over. They might've called the cops, and hell if she was going to be dragged back by anyone before she was damn good and ready for it.

But there was safe haven nearby. She just had to be on her toes until she got there.

A car passed right then and she ducked back into the shadows until it was gone. Once the coast was clear she clambered onto the ledge and up the slope on the other side of the culvert, climbed over the safety railing and took off down the street again. Another two uneventful blocks and she passed an old, low brick building with a new illuminated sign hanging out over the street. "Decker Engines," it read.

That was the place.

After checking one last time to be sure no one was following, Liss pushed open the front door and slipped inside. The front room had definitely seen better days. There was a desk with an old computer on it in one corner and across from it were a pair of battered chairs with a small table between them with a pair of car magazines on it. They were only a few months old but were still thoroughly torn and dog-eared. And suspended off the ground facing the door was a TV with a flickering screen.

"Be right there!" someone called from the next room. A second later a woman just a few years older than Liss entered the front room. She had short dark hair and wore a set of coveralls that had probably been green once, but were now closer to gray. Grease smudged her hands and face, which immediately went cold as she recognized the intruder in her business. "Liss, what the hell do you think you're doing here?"

Liss settled into one of the chairs and picked up one of the magazines. "Had another fight with mom and dad this morning. Didn't feel like school after that."

"What is this, your second time?" the woman sighed.

"Third," Liss said with just a bit of a grin.

"When did you get like this? Last year you hadn't skipped a day of school in your life. And if you think this-"

"Oh, stop trying to baby me, Paige," Liss interrupted. "Look at you. You're doing all right."

Paige crossed her arms over her chest. "Because I learned how to do something that'd let me earn a living."

"And I just told you, I'm not up for trying to learn today. Maybe mom shoulda thought of that before biting my head off in front of the whole family again," Liss retorted.

"I should call her and let her know you came here to hide out."

"…except you know she doesn't answer when she knows it's you calling anymore," Liss reminded her. Unnecessarily. She started to glance through the magazine again but a dirty rag landed on her face.

"Oh no you don't, punk," Paige glared at her. "If you're spending the day here, you're here to work. Got it?"

Liss picked the rag off her face and nodded. That was more like it.

They went into the garage and Paige got to work on a beat-up old truck that had been brought in. Liss handed over the tools Paige asked for, and listened while Paige explained what was what and what the probable causes were of the problems it had been brought in for. And despite Liss's claims not to be in the mood to learn, Paige didn't fail to notice how Liss wasn't missing anything about which part was which and what connected to what to make it all go.

Finally, Paige let them take a break to wipe the last few hours' worth of grime off their hands and faces. While Liss was still staring at the inside of a rag, she felt Paige slip a wad of bills into her pocket.

"Go get us something to eat," Paige commanded. "Keep mine light this time."

Liss didn't move. "So when are you gonna show me what you're working on?" she asked, pointing at something hidden under a dirty sheet in the corner of the garage.

"Lunch!" Paige bellowed. "Or you get to scrub out the toilet!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Liss protested and scrambled out the front door. Once she was out on the sidewalk and heading for that Mexican restaurant a few blocks down, Liss smiled a little. This was nothing like what she had to look forward to at home. At least, nowhere near as malicious. And that was on a fairly good day that she was thinking about. When they heard she not only cut school but actually got away from a security guard…

All at once, Liss stopped walking. Something wasn't right.

But what? She'd been down this way to see Paige before, and everything was exactly the same as it had been those other times. There was the boarded-up gas station on the corner, and the ratty bar with no parking lot across from it that hadn't opened yet. There were only a few people on the streets, mostly ragged homeless folk and a few matrons hurrying home from the Vietnamese grocery before it got dark enough for the gang members to come slithering out of the shadows.

She looked again, and the concrete walls of the run-down buildings seemed somehow more gray than usual. The colors on the flashing "open" signs on the few stores on the block that operated in the day time seemed less stark against her surroundings. And there looked to be a strange ripple on the edge of her vision that was gone when she tried to focus on it.

Liss started walking again, noticing for the first time how loud every step she took was, and how thick the quiet of the street was. She couldn't hear any cars or barking dogs anywhere, and suddenly she couldn't remember if that had always been the case around there, or not.

Faster, she started to walk. For a second she thought about running back to the garage and talking to Paige, to see if she noticed the sudden strangeness, but then thought differently. The urge to get where she was going was stronger, like a pull she could only barely feel but knew she and even though it sounded moronic, Liss had the feeling that when she did she'd find the answer…

She tried to keep calm and walk normally, but with each step the feeling, the need to get where she was going became stronger. Then, Liss couldn't wait anymore, and she sprinted for the end of the block.

As she ran, it felt as if she was running through water. Liss could feel eyes on her from everywhere, like the decision to break and run had made whatever was causing this aware that she knew it was there. She pushed harder but moved even slower. The rippling wasn't something she could barely seem from the corner of her eye anymore, now it was encroaching around her vision so much it was hard to see her surroundings anymore. Still Liss kept going. If only she could get to the end of the street before this closed in completely, she might be able to—

Then suddenly it was gone and Liss lurched forward, landing hard on her chest on the sidewalk. And she wasn't alone. Beside her was a short but hulking figure clad from head to toe in black with red armor on top, which was torn open around the base of his helmet. Inside she could see pale blue skin, marred by a pair of dark puncture marks that he reached up with a shaking, two-fingered hand to touch.

He sat up with an effort and scooped up a sword almost as tall as Liss with his other hand, even though it shook as badly as his other hand, and indeed his whole body as he got to his feet and looked around for something.

Liss dashed behind the corner of a low concrete wall surrounding the Mexican place to assess the situation. The guy in the armor, who looked like some kind of knight to her, was turning around in a circle, looking for something, but he looked right at and past Liss without seeming to see her at all. Of course not, he was looking for whatever made those bite marks on his neck…

Suddenly, the air was filled with a hideous scream as something huge and green shot out from between two buildings across the street. It slammed into the guy with the sword and knocked him clean through the wall of the restaurant. From inside she could hear yells of panic and the sounds of something big collapsing. Whatever had crashed into that guy had hit him pretty hard.

But it didn't follow to finish the job. Instead it whipped around to stare at Liss with four eyes the color of blood.

It was some kind of weird cross between a person and a spider. The lower half was the spider part. Mostly. It was a bulbous sphere covered in dark green fur, with eight powerful-looking legs emerging from it. Or rather, six powerful-looking legs. The front two on the side closer to Liss had been chopped off at the first joint. Just like the arm on the human-looking torso sprouting from the front of its body.

It was at least twelve feet tall at the top of its head, and just as wide from front to back.

The spider's eyes blinked at her and it snorted, not contemptuously but as if sizing what kind of threat Liss and its surroundings presented. It turned toward the building it had knocked its opponent into…then suddenly lunged at Liss.

But she wasn't where she'd been anymore. By the time the spider managed to turn around Liss had darted around the corner of the restaurant. The, because that was how Liss was starting to think of him, had staggered back through the whole in the wall, but his hands quivered even more than before as he held up his sword.

The blade glowed faintly, but it hurt Liss's eyes to look with the way it shook in his hands. "Woe! Bladestorm!" a voice from his belt announced as the spider scrambled awkwardly but terrifying speed at him with the legs it still had. He raised the sword at the spider and all of a sudden the wind started to pick up, then brought the sword down in front of him in a vertical slash. The glow from the sword flowed from the tip and transformed into a stream of small knives as the sword came down, and the daggers shot toward the spider. They exploded as they made impact, and the spider screeched, but just kept on coming.

The knight lifted his sword to attack again but the spider was practically on top of him by then. Liss turned to run for her life, and everything seemed to move in slow motion all of a sudden. The the spider shrieked and pinned the knight to what was left of the wall between two of its legs. He tried to stab at it, but the spider bit down hard on his neck, and he screamed and struggled feebly. The sword bounced harmlessly off the spider's side.

The spider seized the knight by the throat with its one remaining human arm, and the arachnid legs that had been holding him in place rose up and stabbed down into him. He gurgled as the pointed foot impaled him through the chest and the other gouged into his waist, right through his belt strap…

…and as Liss took the first step, something landed in front of her. It was the knight's belt buckle, and the top of something dark red and rectangular had slid halfway out of a slot on top.

Liss bent down to pick it, but looked over as a strangled cry cut the air. The knight slumped back in the spider's grasp, but now his armor was gone and she could see more blue skin through the tatters of the black outfit he'd had underneath. Then with a sudden spasm, he just disintegrated into strands of blue light that in another second were completely gone.

Its prey seen off, the spider looked. It spotted Liss standing over the buckle.

Then it pounced.

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><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock…<p>

Liss: What the hell's going on? Monsters?! Is this some kind of stupid joke?

(The spider covers an entire building with its web, and Liss is caught in the strands as it crawls toward her)

Female Voice: Mistress, I have bad news. A new Tarock has been appointed. An outsider.

(Liss examines the strange device with a crystal ball lodged in the center and a bright red card)

Male Voice: Fascinating…I believe this is what they call a "game-changer."

(Liss, now clad in red and black armor, raises a giant sword high)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	2. Chapter 2: Young Blade

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Two: Young Blade

Disclaimer: I don't own or make any claim of ownership of the Kamen Rider series. Kamen Rider Tarock and its characters belong to me, and may not be used without express permission. But don't be afraid to ask. I also don't necessarily share the beliefs of any character in my stories, and in the case of the ones in this story, don't necessarily endorse anything they do.

Author's Note: I'm thinking of commissioning some artwork for this story. Please PM if interested.

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><p>The sun seemed to have gone out for a second that refused to end. Liss screamed as a wave of terror ran up her body, but then scooped up the buckle and ran for all her legs were worth.<p>

Behind her she heard the spider scream and the uneven thumping as it started to chase her, but Liss was already thinking of the nearest escape route. She slipped between two old cars and kicked out a pair of cinderblocks at the bottom of the back wall of an old warehouse, then dropped to her stomach and crawled through as quickly as she could, ignoring the gravely digging against her stomach as she went.

As soon as she was inside she could hear smashing as they were overturned by the spider. As fast as she could, Liss ran and jumped for a length of old chain hanging from the roof of the building. She clambered up the chain, awkwardly because the buckle was in one hand, but once she was high enough started to swing back and forth and then let go, jumping for a walkway. She landed, crawled into a small hole in the wall. She pulled a small crate against the opening and squeezed herself into the smallest ball she could manage, hugging the buckle up against her stomach.

There was a terrific roar and the walkway shook horribly. Liss took a deep breath and held as still as she could. For a minute she heard the spider skittering around on the floor of the warehouse before things went silent. Liss was about to peek out and see if it was still there, then froze.

She could hear the sounds of its feet…on the ceiling. The spider hissed in frustration, probably having enough of a brain to know people didn't just disappear into thin air. Then, suddenly the crate covering her hiding place exploding, pelting her with splinters. One lodged in her cheek like a tiny spear, but Liss held silent.

A chill ran up her spine. Something was tapping against the wall behind her, and Liss turned her head just far enough to see it was the tip of one long, spindly spider leg. It scrabbled around feeling for her, and coming within inches of her back. It paused for a second, and Liss allowed herself a moment of hope that it was about to give up and leave.

Then without warning it gouged into the corner where she was huddled, scraping the skin off a strip of her shoulder. Liss clenched her teeth but managed to stay quiet as she lay quivering in pain and fear. After an eternity passed, but was probably more like thirty seconds, the leg pulled back from Liss's hiding place. It scuttled down the wall and then out of the warehouse again, but it wasn't until Liss had counted to two hundred she dared to look out and make sure she was really alone.

After leaning over the walkway to assure herself, Liss stumbled to the other end where an empty office still stood, and collapsed into the rolling chair that was the only thing still there. With quivering hands she set down the buckle and reached into her inside pocket for the cigarettes her family knew nothing about. She hadn't found it nearly as cool to inhale smoke as she thought she would, and she'd catch hell if she still smelled like them by the time she got home, but right then steadying her nerves was the only thing on Liss's mind.

She settled one of the cancer sticks between her lips and lit the end. She took a deep puff and her throat burned, but the jitters from her ordeal did start to go away. Inhaling again, her hands stopped quivering enough for her to pull the splinters out of her skin and then pull out the knight's buckle.

It was a mostly rectangular shape of dull gray metal, with a transparent half-sphere in the middle, although looking at it from directly above all Liss could see was pure blackness. A curved inlay of what looked like brass arced outward from where the sphere was inserted toward the edges of the buckle. Despite looking like solid metal, it surprised Liss by feeling like it weighed almost nothing. She was pretty sure she could throw it a couple hundred feet if she tried.

Liss took out the card next that had slipped from the slot atop the buckle. If anything, it was even stranger. It looked like a piece of red plastic, but it had the feel of metal against her fingers instead. Engraved on the front was an image in gold a sword, with a matching golden border around the edges of the card.

Interesting stuff, but how did it work? She tried putting the card back into the slot in the buckle, but it sat there with the top quarter sticking out. Liss pushed it in all the way, but it sprang back out and stayed there as soon as she moved her hand away. Something very, very weird was going on, but Liss knew better than to say anything before she could prove it.

At least, to say anything to most people. After waiting another few minutes to assure herself the spider was really gone, Liss slipped out of the building.

Slowly, peering into every shadow expecting to see the spider watching for her, she started making her way back to the garage. Hearing a set of police sirens, coming to investigate the destruction of the restaurant no doubt, she kept to the back streets. A minute later the familiar empty lot with the tall weeds behind Paige's garage came into sight. She was about to start toward it when suddenly a wave of cold ran up her arm.

Alarmed, Liss glanced down and noticed a dark green stain on the cuff of her jacket and the back of her hand. She scratched at it with her fingernails, but instead of coming off Liss was sure she could feel it seeping into her skin. As it did the feeling of cold intensified until Liss yelped and sank to her knees. A hint of movement on the deserted back street caught her eye, and Liss turned, sure she could see the face of the spider monster looking back at her from the shadow between two buildings.

"Are you all right, Miss?" someone asked all of a sudden. It was a scruffy-looking boy a few years older than Liss, who had on a shirt with Ine Smith Tech's logo underneath his jacket. His hair and the bristles on his chin were a sandy blond. The feeling of cold on her shot through her whole body. Then, suddenly, it was gone and she had the strength to get back up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Elbow's just acting up again," Liss lied.

"You okay? You need any help?" he asked. "We can't stick around here, it's not safe."

"And why isn't it safe?"

He squinted at her. "No, you're definitely that girl I saw when the big spider smashed up Pepe's a little while ago," he said. "You woulda got killed if that guy in the red suit didn't show up!"

"I'm pretty quick," Liss said as she sized him up. He seemed fairly harmless, but on the other hand that made him totally out of place in a part of town as rough as the one where Paige worked. He hadn't really seen the monster attack and followed her all those blocks just to make sure she was okay, had he? Who would do something like that?

"I guess so!" he laughed. "So what's your name?"

"…Liss."

He gaped and took a step closer. "Not THE Liss?"

She sighed and clenched her jacket tighter so he couldn't see the buckle and card. "Quit screwing with me," Liss grunted.

"Okay, okay, I haven't actually heard of you," he smirked, then extended his hand. "My name's Frank."

She didn't accept it. "Nice to meet you."

Frank didn't seem affected by her standoffishness. "We should probably find a place to lay low for a while, that spider thing must still be around here somewhere."

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself," Liss replied. There was a cold tingle on her arm again, and her eyes went wide as she spotted the spider monster scuttling onto the roof of the building next to Paige's garage. "Oh god, come on!" Liss shouted and ran as fast as she could. What was around that she could hide in? The old theater!

But as Liss hurdled the first fence on the way over she heard a gasp and grunt and glanced over her shoulder to see Frank landing on top of the fence on his waist. He slumped forward and landed on the ground on his back.

Liss grabbed his arm and hauled him up, then ran off again shaking her head in disgust the first few steps. Frank stumbled after her with all the grace of someone having a seizure. He followed as she made her way to an old wooden door that had fallen off its hinges and lifted it just enough to slip through. Frank yanked it out of the way and left it against the wall on the other side, and Liss had to run over and drag it back into place.

"Don't you know anything?!" she almost screamed. "Do you want it to see us?"

"Excuse me!" he whispered curtly. "I'm not exactly an expert on the rules for being chased by giant freaking SPIDERS!"

"How about just thinking on your feet when you're in trouble?" Liss retorted but then pulled herself back, took a deep breath and listened. The roof trembled and a fountain of concrete dust fell right on top of her head as the spider scrambled onto the building. She had to clench her eyes shut to keep from sneezing, but not letting herself look like the dumb one in front of this guy added an extra incentive that helped her hold it in. What seemed like hours later, she could distantly hear the spider shriek in frustration and trundle off along the rooftops.

Frank started to say something but Liss clapped a hand over his mouth and waited a minute before going to peer out the door and make sure the spider wasn't just hanging around waiting for a target. Not seeing any green, twelve-foot arachnids anywhere in sight, she slipped back inside and heave a sigh of relief. The cut on her shoulder was starting to ache as she came down from her adrenaline rush, and Liss began to ask herself in earnest what was going on.

Until the spider gouged her shoulder she'd been thinking maybe she'd actually gone to school and fallen asleep in the back of class, or maybe she'd gone to one of Richie Carmine's parties. With shaking fingers she touched her cut and the warmth there was enough to convince her that she really had been attacked by a giant spider, and was going to be again if she stepped outside. And after that thing with the tar and the vice-principal's desk she wasn't on the best terms with the police…

She looked up as she was nudged on the shoulder. "Hey," said Frank. "Didn't you pick up something the guy in the red suit dropped after the spider was almost done with him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"No, you totally did. What was it?"

"I'm telling you, I have no idea what you're talking about," Liss insisted. She had no idea who this guy was, and after almost being killed wasn't feeling inclined to trust total strangers with what she was sure was the key to the mystery.

He reached for the zipper of her jacket, and Liss jumped back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Let me see it!" Frank said, getting agitated.

"Why?"

He didn't reply to that, scowling fiercely at her instead. Liss backed away a few steps before she felt the roof shake, sending bits of brick dust fluttering down on them, and into her cut. The door they'd come in through exploded inward and a long green leg stabbed through the opening it had left.

Frank lunged for Liss again, but she was already running toward the front of the stage and jumped down into aisle and ran for the front of the theater as fast as she could. The roof trembled behind her, obviously the spider moving to block the front door. Looked like her suspicions had paid off once again, because how else could it have known unless Frank was telling it somehow?

But she had a good head start and had an idea of where she might be able to hide out next. The basement of the place where they kept the garbage trucks, maybe, or…

She flung open the door at the front and dashed out, but ran right into a wall of white fibers. Liss yelled in surprise and tried to pull away but was stuck fast. Of course, a spider had a web.

"So typical of humans," she could hear Frank say behind her, but suddenly his voice was a few octaves lower. Turning her head as far as she could, Liss could see that his eyes had started to shimmer red in the darkness of the theater, the teeth he was clenching in his angry scowl looked awfully long. "A little honesty could've spared your miserable life…"

Liss pulled with all her might to break free of the web, but the end of her long, dark hair caught in the sticky strands. She yelped and then found herself with her face stuck to the web. She tried to pull loose again, screamed in pain as she felt how her nose ring was caught, and realized brute force wasn't getting her out of this.

At least, not her own…

She pulled back with her right arm as hard as he could, and pulled harder when she spotted Frank only a few feet away. There was a rip and a patch of her jacket's sleeve was left stuck to the web, but with how Frank's fangs looked to be getting longer every second, it wasn't a sacrifice Liss regretted. She thrust her hand into her jacket and whipped out the buckle, then pressed it to her front hoping desperately for kind of reaction.

To her own surprise, she got one. A belt strap shot from one side, looped around her waist and clicked into place on the other side of the buckle. As soon as that was complete a sheath of what looked like black plastic spread from the buckle over Liss's body, and formed a mask with slanted yellow lenses over her eyes. Frank was right behind her by then, his hair falling out and skin peeling away to reveal a surface that looked more like dark rock than flesh underneath. Desperately Liss slammed the card down into the slot atop her belt buckle.

"Swords Suit!" it said. Liss had a split-second to wonder what she'd just done, then a transparent red rectangle appeared out of the dome on the front of the buckle, floated above her head and then drifted downward, forming thick red armor over the black suit as it passed over her body. There was a feeling of warmth and then strength that flowed through her body. Frank went for her neck with his fangs, but as the shape reached the soles of her feet he was pushed by a burst of unseen force that also ripped the webbing away from her body.

Above she could hear the spider screech and the web trembled, no doubt its maker coming to reinforce Frank now that Liss wasn't trapped anymore. But now what? The web stretched like a wall all around and above the front of the theater. Liss felt incredibly stronger now, but strong enough to break through a giant spider's web? Did she want to chance that with two monsters around and no idea what she could do? Did she have any other choice?

Frank thrust spindly clawed fingers at Liss's neck, and mindful of how the buckle's previous owner had met his demise she grabbed him by the wrist and spun him into the web where he thrashed around, but within second the strands were already starting to tear.

The belt…something on her belt could help! She looked down and spotted a pocket on one side, but it was empty. On the other, though, was a metal plate in the shape of a diamond, and when Liss reached for it, it suddenly jumped off on its own and a bracelet on its underside closed around her left wrist. It stuck out like a blade, and with three swipes Liss chopped through the web and dove through the opening just as she spotted the shadow of the spider just a foot above her head.

Liss was still rolling with the momentum of her dive when the spider reached out and tried to impale her with its leg. It struck against her back and sparks flew from her new armor, but it held. Another thick green leg stabbed at her and Liss slashed at it with her wrist blade, cutting in deep and sending a spray of green blood spurting across the street.

But the spider just hissed and sprang from its perch on its web, blotting out the sun for a second as its hideous bulk soared over her. And as it did, it spread another web behind it. No, there was no way she was getting stuck in another of those damn things! Was her only weapon this little thing on her wrist? What about that huge sword?!

"Arms of Fate! Skycalibur!" said the belt. Liss could feel power building up inside her again just before the dome on her belt buckle shone energy and hovering over her was a metal rod with an ovular head she recognized as the hilt of sword that knight had had before. She reached out to grab it and a pair of curved crossbars slid from the sides of the head, and in a flash of light a blade four and a half feet long formed from the top.

And just in time. The web had almost reached the ground, but Liss got her feet under her and cut through it easily with her new weapon.

The spider turned to set about finishing her off, but once it saw she hadn't been trapped it shrieked in frustration and rushed toward Liss trying to batter her with its powerful legs. The first one clipped her stomach and she yipped in pain, but the second one she was ready for and swung her sword, lopping it off at the second joint. The spider screamed as green blood gushed from its wound, shattering windows up and down the block. The severed leg jerked horribly for several seconds before falling still.

But Liss wasn't waiting for the spider to make the next move. She had it on the defensive, she had to keep it that way if she was going to win the fight. Holding on tight to the hilt she swung the sword in front of her, thinking of when the previous knight had made those glowing swords shoot from it. "Woe! Bladestorm!" the belt said, and as the blade passed a sheet of wind issued from it, and ghostly swords formed and pelted the spider. It staggered, but fixed its eyes on Liss screamed before it crouched to jump at her.

She wasn't about to let it turn her into a target, though. Before the spider could jump Liss turned, crouched and took off at a sprint, hands tight around the hilt of her sword. In the blink of an eye she was a hundred feet away and had to skid to a stop to keep from crashing into a car parked in front of her.

And then the air was filled with a piercing scream and time seemed to slow down as something swooped at her. It was the monster Frank had turned into, with long leathery wings running from forearms to knees. He reached out for Liss's head with long spindly fingers, shrieking like a banshee. Liss crouched and jumped over his head…

…and as she soared over the end of the block, she realized she probably should've known something like that would happen in the first place.

The roof of a rundown apartment house came up to meet her in a hurry and with a sword that long in her hand she wasn't sure how she'd go into a roll to blunt the momentum, yet didn't dare let a weapon go with two monsters after her. Her first foot hit and right through up to her knee, the second left a print two inches deep. In spite of that she wasn't even aching from the landing and turned around just in time to see Frank flying toward her again, blood-red eyes narrowed in fury.

At the last second Liss swung her sword and hit Frank hard on his shoulder with the flat. He spun out of control, but a second later disappeared in a small dark cloud that came from nowhere. Liss didn't get to dwell on it long, something clipped the side of her mask and she whirled to see the spider clinging to the side of a building, looking up at her before it ducked back its head and spat a volley of red needles at her.

Liss raised her sword in front of her face, deflecting two harmlessly but the others sliced through the armor on one shoulder. The shoulder that was still sore from being gouged by that monster's leg not an hour before. She'd been helpless against it then.

But not anymore

With a yell Liss ran to the edge of the roof and let herself fall to the street. As soon as the sidewalk caved in around her boots she was off and running toward the spider, yelling in the most defiant way she'd learned how. The spider dropped from its perch and trundled in Liss's direction while it hissed in cold amusement. The poor stupid human had lost her mind, and thought she could win with a frontal assault!

Liss stopped short in front of the spider but lifted her sword to meet it head on. One of the arachnid's powerful legs fell, aimed at Liss's chest—

NO!

It was that same strange voice that had said how to make the card work. For a second Liss froze, wondering where it was coming from, but just before the spider's leg could impale her, she jumped with a little less force this time. In the split second the spider took to realize it hadn't killed her after all, she held out one hand to push herself off the wall of a building and come rocketing back at the spider with a flying kick. Liss felt a crunch under her boot, and incredibly, the arachnid's bulk toppled over.

FINAL ASCEND.

_Final ascend?!_ Liss thought.

"Dire Fate! Final Ascend!" the belt all but shouted. Not knowing how or why, but gripping the sword in both hands and Liss raised it straight in the air. Power flowed into the blade until it glowed a blazing white. The she brought it down.

The blade bite deep into the asphalt and immediately a crack in the ground ripped from the point of impact and raced to where the spider had fallen. The street buckled and a tornado that stretched from curb to curb erupted from underneath the spider, spinning it into the air and ripping bits away with each revolution. The spider looked as if it was screaming in pain, but Liss couldn't hear it over the deafening winds that were tearing it to pieces. After just a few more terrible seconds the spider was simply gone, and the tornado died away.

Liss fell to her knees, bracing herself on the sword.

She'd done it…she'd figured out how her new powers worked and actually beat a giant monster with them!

Liss was too busy reveling in what she'd just managed to notice a pair of shadows vanish from the scene.

XXX

There was a rush of air and she was no longer alone. The intruder immediately sank to one knee.

Knowing the news was sure not to be to her liking, she rose from her seat and poured a drink into her usual chalice. "Speak," she commanded.

"Empress, the Fate Driver has indeed been recovered."

"And who wears it now?"

"An outsider, Empress. I saw her kill a Mythos with my own eyes, and hold her own against another at the same time. The danger-"

She banged the chalice down heavily for silence. "Don't seek to remind me of the danger, child. Surely you don't suggest I sit here not knowing what goes on beyond these walls, that I've no regard for my people at all. Tell those loyal to us to gather at once, and try to convince the rest. There is much to discuss."

* * *

><p>Next Time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

(Liss stands in a dingy room, facing a woman in a recliner)

Mrs. Decker: Just what kind of future do you think you're making for yourself like this?

(In her armor again, Liss faces off with a fanged, bat-winged monster)

Liss: One bigger than living in this hole for the rest of my life.

(A beautiful, pale-skinned woman in a black dress raises her arms for attention)

Empress: My fellows, it seems our troubles are even greater than we thought.

(The monster pins Liss and sinks its fangs into her neck)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	3. Chapter 3: Faces of Foes

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt - Reading Three: Faces of Foes

Disclaimer: I don't own or make any claim of ownership of the Kamen Rider series. Kamen Rider Tarock and its characters belong to me, and may not be used without express permission. But don't be afraid to ask. I also don't necessarily share the beliefs of any character in my stories, and in the case of the ones in this story, don't necessarily endorse anything they do.

* * *

><p>One last powerful leap carried Liss to the empty lot behind the garage. After she was sure no one else was around, she slipped up to the back door and—carefully—knocked.<p>

"Deliveries come in through the front!" Paige called, just audible through the opened back window.

"Paige…it's me," Liss called back.

"Liss?"

"You better open the door, Paige. I'd probably break it."

"Damn, Liss. You wrecking my stuff now too?" Paige sighed in disgust, but when she spotted the armored figure standing behind the building she gasped. "What the—what the hell are you doing?"

Liss picked up a fallen brick from the ground and crushed it between the fingers of one hand. "You're not going to believe it, but you're the only person I can tell."

Paige stared for a few seconds before she said anything. "That sword looks real."

"It is real."

"Get in here," Paige commanded, and locked the door and closed every blind as soon as Liss had. "Did this have anything to do with all that smashing and the sirens a little while ago." It wasn't surprising she'd asked. Generally when the police bothered to show up in this part of town, it was best to just lock oneself in and hope things passed by without incident.

Liss nodded. "I'll tell you all about it after I…," she started to say then realized she had no idea how to get the suit off. She waited a second for that weird voice that had told her how her new powers had worked before to tell her what to do now, but nothing happened.

It had to come off, didn't it? She was supposed to spend the rest of her life…

Then there was a grinding sound and the red card ejected from her belt buckle. She snatched it out of the air and saw the suit had disappeared back to wherever it had come from. Paige gaped, then sighed, walked into the front room and poured herself a coffee.

She took a long, bracing sip and sat down. "What happened, Liss?"

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later they stood outside the theater where Liss had nearly been trapped between the giant spider and its strange ally who could disguise himself as a human. A pair of squad cars were parked out front and one officer angrily motioned for them to leave, but there was no missing the large mass of white fibers three other officers were trying to pull a machete out again with no success.<p>

They started to walk away, looking as unobtrusive as they could. "All right," Paige said once she was sure the cops couldn't hear them, "Say I believe you got attacked by some kind of bat-guy and a giant spider. Where did they come from, and that suit of yours too?"

"I have no idea, but somehow I think I'm gonna find out soon," Liss replied. "Maybe they're like those monsters out in Rittersburg a while ago…"

Paige shook her head. "Liss, you should go give that thing of yours to the cops. Let them worry about this."  
>"No way," Liss said more firmly than Paige had ever heard her. "This is mine."<p>

They didn't talk the rest of the way back to the garage. As soon as they got there Paige unlocked the door and went straight back to the old truck she'd been fixing up. Liss let her work, figuring it was for the best to let things sink in. Instead she went over to another vehicle sitting in the corner, a dirty racing bike whose previous owner had left it in Paige's care before skipping town.

"Hands off," Paige interrupted her.

"When are we gonna finish fixing this up?" Liss asked.

"You're in enough trouble after today already, don't go digging yourself in deeper. Bringing the forces of evil into town…," Paige warned.

"Hey, I'm the one who got rid of 'em!" said Liss, indignantly. "Seriously, when are we gonna fix it up?"

Paige looked up for a second, her stomach growled, and then she returned to her work. "Not on an empty stomach, that's for sure. And you got attacked by monsters today and that crappy old bike's all you can think about?"

That got a smirk from Liss. "It won't be crappy anymore after we fix it. Besides, it'd be cool as all hell to ride up to a monster right before I kicked its butt."

Paige sighed and shook her head. "Liss, you're enjoying this too much, I'm too hungry to listen, and it's getting late. Go home. If you really want to, we'll talk about it later."

Liss pouted, but knew better than to argue once Paige had said something so final. Besides, she had to admit this had been a way more eventful day than she'd been expecting. The door clicked shut behind her and she walked out onto the streets, where the sky was already starting to turn orange as the sun completed its daily journey. Before, even Liss would've hurried to someplace bright and relatively safe. That night, she found she was in no hurry to get out of the fading daylight. Men with knives were no longer as scary after what she'd achieved that day.

She waited silently for the evening bus to come by, knowing full well what to expect when she got off, and not minding so much this time.

* * *

><p>The door to Liss's apartment wasn't locked by the time she got home, but she'd been expecting that for the entire ride. There was just one light on, in the living room, and she couldn't hear the chatter of the TV. That was the last check on her list of expectations.<p>

"Felicity, come here," a woman said quietly but sternly from the next room. Liss ignored the command until after she'd poured herself some water, then walked over and stood in the doorway. Her mother, a woman who'd been packing on a few pounds thanks to the stress of the last few years and who'd stopped caring for the lustrous black hair she'd once been so proud of, looked up at Liss with weary exasperation. "You skipped school again. You even got the security guard to chase you."

"Yeah," was all Liss had to say for herself.

"This is the third time," Liss's mother added.

"I don't know what they told you, but I can count that high, mom."

Liss's mother buried her face in her hands. "Why do you do this to me? Why do you do this to yourself? Do you know what happens to people who live in places like this, and don't bother to get an education?"

Liss nodded. "Yeah, I do. But you don't want anyone saying that name in this family, isn't that right?"

"Don't you turn this on me, young lady! This family was doing fine until she went and…and…!" Liss's mother wailed, so disgusted she couldn't even finish the sentence.

"You found out she was kissing her roommate?" Liss supplied. Her mother quivered with barely suppressed rage, then sighed heavily and looked away.

"Do whatever you want then, I suppose. We'll see what your father thinks."

"If he decides to wake up and get involved at all," Liss said, but she was sick and tired of this same song and dance anyway. She went down the hall to the tiny bedroom that was hers to call home. After locking the door she went to the niche in one wall that served as her closet and pulled back the cheap carpeting in one corner, revealing a small hollow where a lockbox was hidden. She took her keys out and opened it up, then hid the buckle and card inside on top of the other junk she hadn't looked at in years.

What point was there to brooding on the past, thought Liss as she climbed into bed. Finally something interesting, something exciting had finally happened to help her forget…this. And she was going to find out what it was.

* * *

><p>Inwardly, Empress Maeve of Mazones sighed. Her throne room was full, but the occupants were all familiar. Her envoy—trusted and powerful though she was—had obviously not succeeded in persuading those others of their kind who could still be found of the severity of their situation.<p>

"These are all I could gather," her lieutenant said, almost apologetically.

"I know, Thena. You have my thanks for reaching out to the others regardless," the Empress said and drew herself up to her full height before approaching them.

She was quite a sight, with the absolute blackness of her gown and flowing hair contrasted by the ivory white skin of her face and hands. Her features were beautiful, but hard and strong at the same time. Even having forgone her fullest finery to put her visitors more at ease, she exuded a palpable power that grew to fill the room as she held up her arms for the others' attention.

"Fellow Arcana, you have all been told why we have gathered, and thank you for having the courage to come forward and help devise a course of action," she said. "Certainly this is a troubled time for us…"

"Are we so sure our peril has increased with a new Tarock, though, Maeve?" asked a woman seated on a white marble bench. Her hair was a wavy brown and flowed well with the green gown she wore. Crouched at her feet was a great brown-furred beast that resembled a lion, except for having a second row of eyes above the first and a slight glow to the tips of its sheathed claws. "From what you've said, this new Tarock has done nothing so far but slay a single Mythos. For all we know, she has neither the ability nor the desire to reach the Sphere. To say nothing of Mazones itself."

The empress scowled inwardly. Always this kind of thing from Leone. Certainly she was grateful to have such a powerful Arcanum offering to assist Mazones when needed—the closest thing to loyalty most Arcana seemed capable of anymore-but more and more it seemed as if it would take the end of the Sphere itself to motivate her to fight. "Do you not see what's happening? Shardak's assassin has come back, and poses a threat to us all! Remember what became of Knight Duric!" the empress cried.

"No one's forgetting what became of Duric," an echoing voice replied. It came from a floating shape that looked to be made of some kind of metal, but as it hung in the air its color shifted from dull gold to bright silver and then to shimmering red. Electricity arced across its surface, then a small burst of flame, and then a sheet of ice formed around its surface. It was a sphere, then a cube, then a ring…

"However," it went on, "Leone has a point. Tarock's power is not to be taken lightly, but have we not enemies at the gates already? Should we not determine which is more deserving of our attention?"

"Why did you even answer the summons if this is how you react to the empress's plea for assistance?" asked another strange being. At first glance it was two people, man and woman dressed in red tunics and kilts, with the man being the one who'd spoken. Upon closer inspection, however, the legs on both figures tapered to a single joining just below the knees, and their interlaced hands actually melded together at the point of contact.

"Felco speaks true," said the woman. "Have the mighty Arcana fallen this far, that they prefer to completely turn a blind eye when a known danger resurfaces?"

"Thank you, Mila," Maeve said quietly, looking at the others reprovingly. "We know full well what Tarock's capable of! That it's a danger even to us!"

Leone spoke up next. "Do not confuse a wish to assess a danger with cowardice," she said coolly. "And do not confuse a desire to aid for blind fealty."

Maeve eyed Leone and the shifting being coldly. "I cannot believe I'm hearing this. Our fortifications are nearly nonexistent and our people are vulnerable. And now an outsider of all people has a power in their hands that we well know is a lethal danger to us."

"Must force be met with force?" the formless being asked, simply. "We are not undermining your authority, Maeve, we know the power of the Mythos AND of Tarock. But what use is provoking a threat that may not exist?"

"Master Segic speaks with the proper restraint," Leone said. "Seeking troubles where none exist can only serve to deepen the problems that concern you so, Maeve. Let us observe-"

"An outsider has become Tarock!" Mila cried. "Is there more you need to know? That sort of power, in that sort of creature's hands?! The entire Sphere could be wiped out!"

Leone's pet growled menacingly but fell silent when she placed her hand on the back of its head. "Because Tarock can kill an Arcanum? Whatever you've heard about Duric-"

"If I may interrupt," Segic did indeed interrupt with his disembodied voice. "Maeve, was your attendant excused on some vital business?"

"Thena? No, she had no other duties, what are you…," the empress began, but the words died in her throat as she cast her eyes around the room and realized Thena was nowhere to be seen.

But the empress had an idea where she'd gone.

The room itself trembled. For the briefest of moments Segic's form froze in the shape of a silvery Mobius strip, and Leone's pet growled defensively and splayed its claws even as she stroked its head and whispered soothingly to it.

How did Thena dare to strike out against Tarcok on her own, without so much as seeking approval, simply slinking away when her Empress's back was turned?

There would be hell to pay for this…

* * *

><p>For a while the next morning, Liss thought the school might have actually turned a blind eye to her playing hooky the day before. She sat through the first four classes of the day, paying slightly less attention than usual as her thoughts traveled back to the strange encounter with Frank, and the giant spider, and her transformation into that strange, powerful being.<p>

Where had something that could give someone that kind of power come from, the future? Some other world? With the strange distortion she'd felt just before encountering the buckle's previous owner and the monsters, just about any answer seemed plausible.

When the bell rang to end fourth period, she was trying to come up with some idea of what to do next. The monsters and the buckle's previous owner hadn't given her any clues about where they came from or what they were. Maybe if there was some way to get that voice that had told her how to use her attacks to talk again, and maybe come up with some specifics…

"Hey," someone pushed her on the back of the head. Liss turned, angrily staring at whoever had dared to interrupt her planning. And she nearly slammed him against the nearest bank of lockers by the throat.

The shaggy blond hair, the stubble on his chin, the ripped denim jacket that he still thought made him look so tough…

It was Ben Corland.

"What the hell do YOU want?" Liss demanded.

"Where were you yesterday?" he asked with a smug smile, acting unaffected by her display of anger.

"Someplace a lot better than wasting my time talking to a little smartass." Liss stalked off, but Ben followed after her, laughing softly.

"Oh come on, Liss. I'm over you telling you the principal about me being in on our little tar prank. Let's go do something after school, it'll be fun!"

"I'm already doing something after school," Liss replied tersely.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like the same thing I was doing yesterday," Liss replied and started walking faster, but turned a corner and ran right into a guard coming the other way. A big guy with a bowl cut and icy gray eyes she'd never seen before. He immediately grabbed her by the shoulders.

"The VP wants to see you, little missy," he stated as a matter of fact

Guess they'd noticed after all.

The guard led Liss away, and Ben started to follow before the guard stopped him in his tracks with a glare. "Not you, tough guy, just her."

Ben shrugged. "Sure man, sure." Then he vanished into the pass period crowd. Students turned to watch briefly as Liss passed by, then their attention settled back on their own business. Nothing new involving Liss.

A minute later Liss stumbled into the vice principal's office from a spiteful shove against her back from her escort. Looking at her from across his desk, left eye twitching in that familiar way, was Vice Principal Sanchez. His black buzzcut was immaculate as always, and his smooth features, free of any hints of stubble or other blemishes, made him look even more like a poorly-disguised robot than usual.

Suddenly a feeling of cold rushed up Liss's arm and into her spine, but was gone as quickly as she'd felt it.

"How nice of you to join us today, Miss Decker," he said, hands clenched in front of him. "Maybe you'd care to explain what pressing business drew you away from school with no notice yesterday."

"I could, but you wouldn't believe me even if I did."

Sanchez laughed out loud and leaned back in his chair after hearing that. "A little honesty, I see! I have to admit, Miss Decker, I never thought you'd be the one to see how limp your own excuses are!"

Inwardly, Liss tensed. VP Sanchez didn't like her after the stunts she'd pulled before, but he'd never flat out insulted her before. Or anyone else. Wasn't that the kind of thing that got people who worked for schools sued?

"But!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Since you evidently see the error of your ways, you won't mind making some of the time you missed out on yesterday after school today. And frankly young lady, that's getting off light."

Liss just nodded. It'd be easier to figure out what to do next with fewer people breathing down her neck. Sanchez squinted at her for a second as if he couldn't believe she was accepting her punishment so easily, but then waved her out of his office. "Well then, since you're turning your academic career around, get to class. See you after school, Miss Decker."

She did, but took her time getting to her destination since for her, fifth period was lunch. Making a baloney and cheese sandwich was about as far as her culinary skills extended, and her mind had been on other things all day. So she fished into the pocket of her jacket for a few crumpled bills and got a tray of lunch sludge, not bothering to see what they were calling the different colors that day.

A table near the corner was unoccupied, so Liss took a seat. She unzipped her backpack just far enough to glimpse the buckle inside. "Can you hear me?" she whispered. "You, the one who talked me through the fight yesterday. Who are you?"

No answer came, maybe because she could only hear it while she had the suit on, and that wasn't a secret she had any intention of sharing yet. Maybe she'd be better off skipping detention after all…

"Anyone sitting here, beautiful?" someone asked, and Liss kicked her backpack under the table to keep it out of sight. Looking over at her were Ben Corland and two of his friends. Liss sighed in annoyance, which they evidently took as acceptance as they filled the seats beside her, Ben taking the one on her right. "So, you thought about my invitation yet?" he asked.

"I'm busy after school," Liss answered curtly.

Ben frowned. "Oh yeah? Doing what?"

"Detention."

One of the other boys scoffed. "Detention? Since when do you go to detention?"

"Yeah, Liss," Ben joined in. "What's Sanchez got on you?"

"None of your damn business," Liss growled. That elicited a chorus of amused "oooooh"'s from the boys.

"Looks like your girlfriend's getting soft, Ben," the second boy warned. "You sure she can still hang with us?"

"I am NOT his girlfriend anymore," Liss said, the disgust at admitting she ever was almost tangible.

Ben looked her in the eye, and even though Liss immediately looked away, he asked, "Seriously, Liss. You spending this afternoon in detention? Just like that?" He gave her a look he never had even when they had been going out, after she'd won her first fistfight with another student. It was masked by annoyance, but there was a glint of concern in his eyes.

She'd still been getting used to her current lifestyle then, and a boyfriend who was into defying authority and didn't think a girl couldn't be tough too was an appealing idea. And it had gone well for a few dates, but it was then when Liss noticed Ben was taking her places, but only to brag about how he was there with the girl who'd left so-and-so black and blue. Eventually something else would command his attention, and Liss would be on her own for the next few hours until Ben finally decided to come find her and take her home.

She'd, understandably she thought, told him she wasn't interested in putting up with that, and Ben proposed they prank Vice Principal Sanchez. Something for the two of them to bond over. They'd been caught in the act, but Ben had gotten away. Liss, however, hadn't seen any reason not to tell them who put her up to it. Neither had spoken to the other since.

Why the hell would he suddenly be taking an interest?

Her continued silence was the only answer he got. Finally Ben shrugged and looked away, unwrapping his sandwich and taking a bite.

The first boy asked, "So what ARE we doing tonight, man, if we're not hanging out with your chick?"

Liss grabbed her tray and stalked off to another empty table. Ben didn't answer. He spotted a science teacher whose class he had coming up passing the cafeteria, and all of a sudden he grabbed the bottle of soda from his lunch and ran outside, shaking it hard as he went.

Ben ran up behind the teacher, then when he was right behind her uncapped the bottle and let it spray all over her. She screamed as the sticky beverage covered her hair and blouse, and angrily whirled to see a smiling Ben Corland behind her, holding the fizzing bottle that gave his guilt away.

"WHAT do you think you're doing?" she screamed.

He smirked back at her. "Well…"

* * *

><p>Liss took a seat in the empty classroom. Sanchez had shown up after her last class of the day and personally escorted her to detention; seemed he wasn't taking any chances on her that day. Weirdly, she'd felt that sensation of cold race up her arm again when he'd shown up. She got out a book to look like she was getting ready to do some homework, hoping to try to get some results from the buckle instead, but then a second student was shown into the room.<p>

"Hey Liss, looks like we're hanging out after school after all," Ben smirked at her.

"Like hell you are," Sanchez snapped. "You're going to make good use of your time after school to prove we don't need to be more severe. I'll be back to check in a little while." Then he closed the door behind him, glared at the two of them for a minute through the window in it and strode off.

"He seem even crazier than usual today, or is that just me?" Ben asked. He took the desk next to Liss's, glanced at the book she hadn't opened, and then leaned over to look into the top of her backpack. "What's that?"

Liss snatched it away. "What the hell's with you today?" she asked, irritated. She fastened the zipper again and pretended to read through a chapter of textbook, even though she didn't think for a second Ben was fooled. She just hoped the thought of a punch in the face was enough to get him off her case.

It wasn't. Ben returned to his seat and got out his algebra notebook, and read through it for most of ten minutes before lunging over and grabbing Liss's backpack and opening the zipper. "What the hell is THIS?" he laughed as he pulled the buckle out. "One of those real life role-playing things?"

"Give that back, right now," Liss said, which made Ben's grin of amusement even wider.

"Oh my god, it is! Looks like the tough girl's got a few dark secrets!"

"Let me put it another way," Liss said. "Give that back, right now, and I won't break your nose."

That got Ben to stop laughing, but still he didn't give it back. "So what's this supposed to be, huh? The Magic Amulet of Zendoforvink…itz or whatever? What's this thing made out of, anyway? Feels like metal, but it should be heavier-"

Liss lunged and grabbed the buckle, but Ben held onto it hard. All of a sudden the door flew open and standing in the door was the guard Liss had never seen before. "What's all the yellin' about?" he demanded, then his eyes zeroed in on the buckle they were fighting over. "Ah, I see! Guess I'll just take that, and we can all be buddies again."

"No way," Liss said and shoved Ben, grabbing the buckle back.

"Just hand it over," the guard warned. "Nobody has to get hurt." He grabbed for the buckle, and again Liss could feel that cold sensation on her arm again, but weaker, shorter than before. All the same she kicked him in the side and he staggered into the wall.

"Whoa, Liss!" Ben cried out. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Playing a hunch," she answered. The guard didn't move from where he'd ended up, but suddenly his body was surrounded by some kind of blue smoke. It took only a second to clear but when it did the guard was something totally different. He was the same size and shape of a human being, but instead of skin he seemed to be covered in something that looked like white stone. Black lines traveled up and down his arms, legs and torso, but his face was completely smooth and featureless. Again he reached out for the buckle and again Liss kicked him, this time against the chest and with all her strength, but he only staggered back a single step before grabbing for her leg.

Liss dodged back and grabbed the sword card from her backpack. She was about to slap on the buckle when the windows behind her shattered, and two more of those white fake-people somersaulted into the room. Between them, landing almost elegantly on his feet, was Vice Principal Sanchez. Again she felt cold shoot up her arm.

"Give me the buckle, Liss," Sanchez warned. "I might still be persuaded to let you walk away from this."

"Liss, huh?" she asked.

"Isn't that what you said your name was the first time we met?" he said with a sinister smile, right before the skin split down the middle of his head and peeled back. It was the monster Frank had become the day before. His suit tore to shreds as his frame expanded to the size it had been when she'd had her first fight with these things.

She slapped the buckle into place, and one of the white things ran to stop her, knocking Ben into a row of desks. It was too late, as the black under-suit had already formed, and Liss slammed the sword card in.

"Swords Suit!" the buckle said just before the three faceless monsters were flung away by the power of her change, but the Frank-Sanchez monster managed to hold its ground, staring at her angrily as her red armor finished forming itself.

Ben looked up and froze as he spotted the black and red armored figure where Liss had been standing. He started to say something but the sound died in his throat. Liss threw herself at the monster and they crashed through the wall behind it, out onto the grounds.

She rolled onto her feet and her sword appeared in her hand. The three faceless monsters rushed toward her, weaving back and forth as they came. The first one landed a punch on her chest, staggering her back, but as he came up to attack again she sweep-kicked his legs out from under him and impaled him through the chest with her sword. He contorted before simply bursting into white powder.

Just as she looked up the second one attacked, kicking at her and hooking his leg around her neck, then leaning back and pulling Liss down with him. As they fell the last one darted around and threw himself at Liss's side with a jump kick. She gasped and tumbled across the lawn.

Again they came at her, weaving back and forth. Liss jumped to her feet and went into a fighting stance, and in another second they were close enough to renew their attack. Before they could, Liss punched them in their blank faces at the same time, stunning them. She somersaulted over their heads, then untucked her body and kicked each of them in the back, sending them flying toward the other monster. It opened its fanged mouth and shrieked, the sound issuing out as a visible cone of force that shattered its lesser comrades into a cloud of ivory-colored dest.

Liss and the monster faced each other alone, circling and looking for an opening. Suddenly he threw his arms up high and the membranes he used to fly expanded outward. He took a few running steps and launched himself into the air, flying like a missile straight at Liss.

The sword sang as it cut through the air toward the monster's side, but he swooped upward and out of the way of her attack. Liss ran after him as he came around for another pass and jumped at him, aiming her sword at his neck. He turned to face her and then opened his mouth, giving out his cry again. It was deafening, and Liss felt herself flying backward. Another second and she felt dirt and grass being torn up around her as she dug a trench across the school lawn with her shoulders from the force of the monster's attack. There was a crunch and her vision blurred for a few seconds as her helmet punched through the wall of the school.

The monster hovered over where she'd come to rest and then grabbed her shoulders with the talons on his feet before pumping his wings and lifting Liss into the air with him. She grasped the hilt of the sword and thrust the tip at his stomach as they ascended, but the monster hissed and swung his legs forward to bash her head against the side of the building again. Liss was only dazed for a second, but in that second her sword tumbled from her hand and fell two stories to the ground.

Higher and higher the monster continued to fly. He looked down at Liss, fangs bared, but she wasn't sure if it was a smile or a snarl. She karate-chopped his ankle and that foot released her, only for him to shift his grip and grab her around the neck with both feet instead. He flew toward the side of the school and bashed her head against the wall. Her vision stayed blurred longer that time, and Liss felt a warm trickle down the back of her head she was sure was blood.

Then he pumped his wings, pushing them away from the building. And dropped her.

Liss failed for something to grab and arrest her fall, as pointless as she already knew that would be. A feeling of cold helplessness clutched at her stomach as she fell. Liss found herself asking for the first time just how much her armor protected her, how strong it made her. She shouldn't have waited until after school, she should've experimented as soon as she could. Could she beat this monster? Would she even survive the fall? Was Paige right telling her to—

Then her thoughts were cut off by a bone-jarring impact that knocked the wind out of her lungs and all feeling from her body. Then as if he'd appeared from nowhere, the monster was over her. He lifted her by the shoulders, then sank his fangs into her neck, going right through her armor.

Of course. A fanged monster with big leathery wings. Had to be a vampire, didn't it?

Liss screamed as he drank her blood. The feeling was returning and nothing seemed broken, but the strength drained from her body with every second the vampire sucked at her neck. She tried to shove him off but it was like trying to budge a skyscraper.

All right, she thought, if you're there, if you've got any advice for me, now's the—

THUNDER LASH.

She focused on those words in her head as she had before. "Calamity! Thunder Lash!" said her belt. The bracelet with the blade on it jumped onto her wrist and immediately sizzled with arcs of blue electricity. She jabbed it into the vampire's stomach and he shrieked. Right in her ear, but he released her neck and staggered away, body spasming horribly.

A long coil of electricity, like a whip, stretched from the tip of her bracelet until it was almost ten feet long. By then the vampire had recovered, and stared at her with his burning eyes. He dove forward to tackle her, and Liss brought the Thunder Lash back over her shoulder to swing it at the monster, the electricity sizzling a centimeter away from her head in the process. She cracked it forward, catching the vampire across the shoulder.

He screamed at the pain and landed well short, but tried to aim the force of his scream at Liss. She brought back the Thunder Lash for another strike, caught herself on the back with it for a second and yelped, but struck again and the energy sliced down the vampire's face. She cracked it again, watching her back that time, and left a deep red gash in the vampire's side.

STRATO KICK. HIGH.

The vampire scrambled away from Liss, spread his wings and flapped feverishly to get out of Liss's range. She crouched, then jumped upward and at his retreating back as hard as she could. "Dire Fate! Strato Kick!" shouted the belt. Then it exploded behind her, shaping the winds into a tornado pushing her toward the vampire. She aimed one foot at him and almost gasped in surprise as she sheared right through, flying onward to meet the ground again as his body disintegrated in blue flames before they could even fall from the air.

"Hey," Liss panted. "You, the one who told me what those were called…you there? Who are you? What's going on?"

"I think I can furnish an answer to that, if you're worthy of it," a cold female voice said. Appearing out of nowhere was another strange figure. It was a woman in ornate black armor with golden epaulets, boots, gauntlets and a design of old-fashioned scales across the chest. A winged helmet completely covered her face above the nose. Her skin was the absolute pale of those three lesser monsters. She already had a pair of short swords in hand, and gripped them tightly as if waiting for the chance to use them.

And the feeling of cold raced up Liss's arm once again as the woman approached. What was that?

"Who the hell are you?" Liss emanded.

"I am Thena, warrior of Mazones. You are Tarcok, and you are a risk I cannot tolerate."

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock. Re-Dealt…<p>

(Liss's armor is cracked and erupts in sparks)

Thena: You were never a match for me, outsider.

(She cradles the buckle in her hands, the crystal ball cracked down the middle)

Liss: I can't believe it's over already.

(A man in flamboyant medieval garb holds out a new green card)

Male Voice: And who says it has to be over, little one? There's a whole world waiting to be discovered!

(A bearded face made of green smoke gestures to approach)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to the Sphere

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt: Reading Four – Welcome to the Sphere

Liss's eyes darted from the strangely-garbed woman to where her sword had landed during her fight with the vampire, a good hundred yards apart. Thena tightened her grip on her own weapons but stayed perfectly still, betraying nothing.

"You think you can take me? You obviously weren't watching just now when I wasted that vampire," Liss said, trying to get some kind of reaction she could gauge from her new opponent. Her arms were feeling heavy already from the last fight, and any advantage she could get was something. But Thena was as still as a statue, her eyes locked on Liss. At least, she assumed they were. What kind of idiot kept their eyes covered in a fight?

Then Liss broke and ran for her sword. Thena jumped, somersaulted in the air and landed in front of the fallen weapon. A ribbon of white light crossed Liss's vision and then sparks erupted from her chestplate. Liss was still processing that she'd just been slashed when another streak of light came and that time sparks flew from the lens over her left eye. Had to move faster or the next one was going to go straight through her head!

Liss feinted hard to her left and as soon as Thena made a move that way Liss jumped the other. She sailed through the air toward the wall of the school, right toward a window on the second floor, and crashed through it. A few screams went up, and she wasn't surprised to see the students who'd been in there huddled against the wall. Probably had been as soon as the vampire started drumming the wall with her head.

She ran at the door to the classroom and jump-kicked right through it. There was another collective scream behind her, no doubt Thena wasn't wasting any time coming after her. Liss shouldered the door to the room across the hall aside and dove over the heads of the students hiding in there, through another window. As soon as she'd cleared the edge, she turned and dug her fingers into the bricks as hard as she could to arrest her fall. The second she saw Thena come through the window frame after her, Liss thought of the electric whip she'd used before and it sizzled into being from the blade on her wrist. Liss snapped it as hard as she could at Thena.

The whip bit into Thena's shoulder and she clenched her teeth, but made no sound and didn't flinch from the attack. She arced over Liss's head but held out one sword and dragged the tip down the back of Liss's armor as she fell. Liss screamed and let go, freefalling for a terrible second before she felt the ground come up and slam into her, knocking the breath from her lungs.

As fast as she could, Liss rolled onto her stomach and got her legs underneath her. But having her blood sucked coupled with all the bashing around was quickly taking its toll on her. She was just getting up when Thena cried, "Grasp of Justice!" and Liss was yanked off her feet by a giant transparent shape in the form of a hand and toward Thena. Before Liss could even think of defending herself Thena slashed her across the chest again, cutting deep into her scarred armor.

But hell if Liss was going down without a fight. With all her flagging strength she swung her fist with the bladed bracelet at the side of Thena's head. There was a clang and Thena's head jerked to one side, and the hand holding Liss faded away. Desperately she pressed her attack with a desperate upward slash with the blade up Thena's chest. That time sparks flew from her body, and Liss grabbed for her opponent's wrists and slammed them together, trying to force Thena to drop those damned swords. Once, and her fingers loosened. Twice, and her right hand opened and actually let the weapon go. Third, and…

Thena's foot swung up and smashed into Liss's face. For a second everything turned red, and by the time Liss could see again Thena held her remaining sword high. "White Blade of Fury!" Thena cried, and as she did her weapon erupted with white flame. She slashed it with all her might down Liss's chest, and Liss screamed with pain as the blow sent her flying.

"You aren't the slightest bit worthy of the power you carry, outsider!" Thena shouted.

With the last bit of her energy, ignoring the sparks fountaining off every piece of her armor and the bolts of jagged energy shooting from the buckle, Liss managed to drag herself to her feet. "Strato…Kick…" she gasped out, then took a faltering run and jump-kicked at Thena.

With much greater grace and force, Thena ran toward Liss and launched a jump kick of her own. "Libra Kick!" she yelled, her scream almost shaping into a smile. They collided, and there was an explosion that ripped chunks from the school wall fifteen feet away.

Thena waved away the smoke from the blast, scanning in all directions for her nemesis. She just missed Liss, armor gone, clothing torn and bleeding in eight places, crawling behind the corner of the school building and clutching the buckle to her chest. She didn't stop after getting out of sight, and especially didn't stop as Thena gave a frustrated cry.

Back and forth Thena looked, trying to find the buckle and card. She peered into shattered classroom windows, eliciting choruses of panicked screams as she looked for the items. But she could detect no trace of their power, even dormant. She screamed with frustration again, knocked a hole in the wall of the school with one punch, and the air around her blurred before she vanished from sight.

* * *

><p>It was a long time before Liss stumbled out of the shed where she'd been hiding once she managed to get away from campus. She limped two blocks to the Sandy Burger on the corner. She was feeling faint after everything that had happened to her, and the thought of food, even something as greasy as a fast food burger, was the only thing on Liss's mind.<p>

When she got inside the door the flatscreen in the back was playing the news, with a picture of a one-story house. "Claude Sanchez was found dead in his home by a friend this afternoon. Sanchez was a vice principal at Samuel Archer High School. Neighbors who knew him say he was a hard-working man and on the neighborhood watch. At present, police have declined to release any details concerning the cause of Sanchez's death."

Yeah, Liss thought, they're not saying anything because a vampire sucked him dry. "Hey," she called out to the girl behind the counter, who looked back at her nervously. "Could I get a Double Sandy Burger, a medium drink and some Sandy Nuggets?"

"Sure," the girl said, eyes still darting around, only relaxing a little after Liss handed over her money. The girl slid the receipt and a red and white cup across the counter to her. "Order number thirty-four."

"Thanks," Liss said, and stepped into the restaurant's tiny bathroom. She'd never been one to care much about makeup or flawless hair, but she took a few minutes to wash the blood and grime from her fight off and try to straighten her hair as much as she could.

For a minute she inspected the girl with the unkempt black hair, torn jacket and jeans looking back at her in the mirror. She wondered what it might be like if she was the kind of girl who cared so much about making her reflection as good as it could be. If things different, if she and her family hadn't started fighting. She wouldn't be picking fights at school, that was for sure. Or starting things with the faculty, and hanging around people like Ben Corland.

Would she have a normal boyfriend, think about her looks and have a shelf full of pink teddy bears in her room? If so, she probably would've run screaming when a knight and a giant spider appeared out of thin air in front of her. No, she probably would've been daydreaming in the back of class instead of skipping that day completely…

Not that it mattered now, she thought as she pulled the buckle out and sat it down on the counter next to her. The crystal ball seated in it was cracked down the middle, and the front of the sword card was singed black. They'd made her so powerful, but now they were just pieces of junk.

Barely aware of what she was doing, Liss fished her phone out of her back pocket. The screen was cracked all to hell, but still responded enough for her to dial her home phone number. Nobody answered, even though her mom was usually home by then. As the voice mail recorder started, she heard herself say, "Mom, dad, it's Liss. I know we never talk to each other anymore, we never listen to each other anymore. But I have to tell you about something that happened to me today…you've probably heard about some kind of terrorist attack or something at the school. I'm not kidding, they were after me. I'm not making it up, I'm not freaking out and imagining things. They might come after you too. Please, go somewhere safe. I don't know who it is and I don't know how long they'll keep looking for me or if they'll come after you, but I'll figure something out for myself." She hung up.

A scream came from outside, and Liss hurriedly grabbed the buckle and card before looking around for another way out of the bathroom, but there was no window and only a tiny air vent. Slowly she pulled open the door…

…and looked up and froze, only faintly aware of the cold feeling on her arm. The girl behind the counter was ALL THE WAY behind the counter now, cowering on the floor by one of the fryers in the back. Liss didn't entirely blame her, because standing in the middle of the restaurant was a man who looked like he was on the way to a Renaissance Festival. He had on a green Robin Hood hat (what were those really called?) atop his blond pageboy haircut. His outfit consisted of a green and black checked tunic, white pants and yellow leather shoes what curled out slightly at the toes. Over one shoulder he had a hobo stick with a blue bundle dangling from the end. He had a subdued little smile on his face and maintained a respectful distance.

"And who the hell are you supposed to be?" Liss asked.

"I'm known by many names, but the one I've been called the most often is Jack. I come on behalf of a friend who can't come himself," he replied, calm and confident.

Liss eyed him speculatively. "Yeah well, no offense but I haven't run into hardly anybody in the last day who didn't want to kill me."

Jack fished into his bundle and palmed something. "Perhaps a token of my goodwill…?" he said, holding up a thin rectangular object. It was a card, like her ruined sword one, but dark green and with a gold circle with a five-pointed star on the inside. Jack held it out for her to take, which she did.

"I don't think this is gonna do me any good," Liss said.

"I'm aware," Jack replied. "But the friend I represent can help with that, if you'd like to continue the adventure…" He offered his hand to her.

"What about my food?" At that the girl behind the counter scrambled for a spatula and flipped two patties still on the grill. With trembling hands she pulled out a pair of buns and finished Liss's double burger and put all the greasy delights into a bag. Then as fast as she could she skittered to the back of the food prep area again.

"I believe we're making the young lady nervous," Jack said with a hint of a smirk. "Shall we be off Miss…Liss, wasn't it?"

Liss looked at him, still uncertain, but then grabbed her food and Jack's outstretched hand.

And then they were gone.

* * *

><p>As soon as she saw where she was, Liss sucked in a panicked breath and held it. She looked over at Jack, who looked back with a smile and made a show of sucking in a breath and letting it go again.<p>

They were drifting through a black void with stars or something looking very like them drifting past, but in just a second there was a flash of light in front of them Liss saw a giant transparent ball. Inside were a series of disc-shaped layers one above the next, and on them Liss could make out desert plains, fields of yellow grass, mountains, towns and even oceans and lakes that for some reason didn't drip down to the levels below. Piercing through the layers were long spikes of blue and white crystal at sharp angles, but weirdest of all was how the layer in the center had a circular hole in the middle where a large blue orb with patches of green hovered, and two balls of shining light and a white crescent-shaped object drifted around slowly.

"Welcome to the Sphere!" Jack laughed. "A strange place, but a world of adventure, as you outsider-folk say!"

"Where are we going?" Liss asked.

"As I said, to meet a friend! Hold tight now, Miss!" They flew toward the outer edge of the Sphere near the middle layer and Liss gasped and held her free arm up in front of her face, but only felt a rippling that started at her head and pass down her body before stopping at her feet. As it did the feeling of flying started to die away and the ground came closer. They were over a range of dusty hills, and coming to a low spot between a few of them with a few dead trees the only thing breaking up the view. Liss and Jack landed in the middle of them, Liss with a couple rough staggering steps.

"Come on, we're almost there," Jack said and walked over to the side of one of the hills, but instead of going up it he walked straight through the side and disappeared. Taking a deep breath, Liss followed and found herself in a small cave with a rock formation in the middle that was flat on top like a table. A weird green light came from the roof of the cave, Liss feeling cold on her arm again as it did. "I've brought her, Shardak, as you asked," Jack called out.

"As if I need you to tell me!" replied a wizened voice. The green light from the roof suddenly seeped down and collected over the table, forming itself into the face of an old man with a long, thick beard and wearing a hood. "Hello, young lady," he said, and it took Liss a second before she recognized his voice as the one that had told her the names of her powers during her fights. "I'm sure you have many questions."

Liss pulled out the buckle and sword card, and set them on the table. "Why don't we start with the obvious ones? What are these, and who are you?"

Shardak smiled faintly at such a response. "A good place to start, I suppose. Jack and what's left of me are two of a race of creatures who call ourselves the Arcana. Long ago we came into being, to guide and guard the people of the Sphere, I would think."

"You think?" Liss asked, and Jack chuckled before taking a seat on the edge of the stone table.

Jack smiled. "The truth is, Miss, even we're not sure where it is the Arcana came from, and why," he explained. "One day we were just here, not knowing why, and eventually we found out about the rest of our kind. For the most part we've done our best to guide and guard, as Shardak said, the people of the Sphere. That being where we are now, of course."

That sounded like the start to a big explanation to Liss, who sank to the floor and bit into her hamburger. Finally a little strength started to return to her aching body. Shardak watched her for a second, then cleared his throat and continued. "Quite. For some time the people needed little protection, though, the Sphere having few creatures that could endanger them, and the people being hearty warriors themselves. We were mainly tasked with gathering knowledge, helping the peoples develop new settlements and exploring the world beyond ours…well some of us did. A few outsiders even made it to the Sphere, and claimed they were able to see visions of the future through some kind of divination medium we inspired. Jack, what did they call it?" Beneath his beard Liss thought she saw one side of his mouth curl up in a smirk.

"Tarot, I believe," Jack said, quickly and sourly. He pulled a book with a blank blue cover out of his bundle and flipped it open.

"Not fond of the name they gave him," Shardak whispered with a wink, then looked down at the buckle and a smoky green hand formed out of the light comprising him. The index finger pointed and a beam lanced from the tip that traced along the crack in the dome, closing the crack as it went.

Liss regarded them silently for a second, wondering at the craziness she was hearing before pointing to the buckle. "And what about that? Where'd it come from?"

"I'm getting to that," Shardak said placatingly. "As I said, some of the Arcana visited your world but mostly we kept to our own. The four tribes flourished, and there was hardly a corner of the Sphere they hadn't settled-"

"But then," Jack interrupted, smirking, "THEY came…"

"That is NO laughing matter, Jack," Shardak rebuffed him. "But he's correct, after some centuries a group of strange, powerful beings that echoed the creatures from legends in your world appeared. Their abilities equaled ours, and for all our immortality the Arcana could be hurt, even killed by them. Most of us retreated to our cities to have our backs against the wall with our allies as fought them. We called them the Mythos, and the Fate Driver was my attempt to let the members of the four tribes aid us in standing against them."

Jack snapped his book closed and stood up. "Ah, but that cost you among the rest of us, eh Shardak? You have to understand, Miss, the Mythos appearing was a great shock to the Arcana, and different groups of thought sprang up as the fight with the Mythos worsened. There were quite a few of us who weren't in favor of creating more beings with the power to equal ours.

"But I get ahead of myself. The rulers of each tribe had an object that was a symbol of their right to lead, you see. Shardak here was one of the strongest of us, and knew a few tricks when it came to things with supernatural powers…he turned them into cards like the ones you used to fight those Mythos before, and my little enticement to come back here. The hope was for each of the four tribes to be able to appoint a champion to help fight back the Mythos. That was, until the strongest of them came along before more than one Fate Driver could be finished. Shardak hasn't exactly been the same since…"

"That's even LESS of a laughing matter!" Shardak snapped, then sighed. "However, as you've seen, Miss-"

"Liss," she said.

"Liss, as you've seen, the Mythos have returned recently. If you're willing, you could be a great help to us as a new Tarock," Shardak said. As he did he waved his hand to indicate the crack in the buckle, the Fate Driver, had finished mending.

"Oh yeah?" Liss replied. "Not that I don't think I couldn't handle those monsters, but don't you guys have people for that? That psycho bitch with the swords…"

Jack smiled strangely. "That's more or less the point. The last time the Mythos attacked, most of the Sphere's people retreated into the primary territory of the two empires we have here, Mazones and Avalon. They've just begun to have the courage to settle outside again, and we're afraid that after spending so long inside city walls having the Arcana responsible for their protection, the Mythos's reappearance will only make that dependence worse. If a new Tarock were to have success driving back the Mythos, though, it's our hope that the four tribes could be reinvigorated. Take up arms themselves again. We tried that with someone from here, but, well…you know what happened to him even better than we do."

Liss them with disbelieving eyes. "Wait, you guys have been watching me since yesterday, right? That's how you told me what to do in the fights…and you think I'm the big hero you've been waiting for?"

"Why not?" Shardak answered as if it were a stupid question. "You're strong and confident. Clearly you aren't content to let anyone shape your destiny but yourself. The temper leaves something to be desired, but…" He trailed off, probably not sure how to finish that sentence in a way that wouldn't make Liss mad. His spectral hand lifted the scorched sword card, and he frowned. "It's going to be a bit longer before the Swords Card is usable again…"

Liss couldn't help feeling a little reassured to hear Shardak saying it could be fixed. "So you said there's four tribes, and there's a card for all of them? Where's the other two?"

With a sigh, Shardak set the card down again and held up his ghostly hands to tell her to wait. "Consider what you've heard before agreeing. There others among the Arcana who will distrust you and even try to kill you, as you've already seen. If you accept, there will be further conflicts, and we beg you not to enter into this lightly."

With that, Jack stood up and handed Liss the Fate Driver. "Think on it, Liss. That's all we ask." After Liss tucked the driver back into her jacket he led the way back outside before offering Liss his hand, which she took. Then they were flying off again toward the black void beyond the wall of the Sphere. There was only a single point of light that grew closer and until everything went white, and they were standing in a tiny park Liss recognized as being not too far away from her school.

"Think on it, Liss," Jack reminded her, and turned to depart.

"Wait! How'm I supposed to get back if I say yes?" she asked.

"The Fate Driver will show the way," he replied, and smirked. "Although you might find it more…stylish to find something to channel it through. Oh, I nearly forgot. Close your eyes."

She did. "Try anything and I'll break your arm," she warned, though.

"Perish the thought," Jack answered before she felt him place his palm on her forehead and a sudden wave of warmth passed through her body, lingering for a few seconds on her closed eyes before Jack released her.

"What did you do?" Liss asked when she opened her eyes and everything looked the same.

He smirked and turned on his heel before walking away, hobo stick slung over his shoulder. "You'll see when you inspect your new prize, Liss," he said. Then he walked off, his form getting blurrier with every step, until he was gone.

Curious, Liss did as he said and pulled out the new card he'd given her. On the front it was the same as she'd seen with no new surprises, but she flipped it over and there on the back were lines of weird, alien symbols.

And she could understand them…

* * *

><p>Peace. Thena knew what was coming, but she was at peace as she sat on the floor of her chamber in the palace of Mazones.<p>

Dearly she loved her empress and the empire itself, but that cabinet session with the other Arcana had just reinforced her certainty that often a consensus couldn't be reached on even something as dire as the bane of their kind resurfacing. No, if anything was going to be resolved, it almost always took a single person willing to take that ever-so daring first step and make the problem their personal responsibility. Fools as well as cowards, did they want to be facing danger that could threaten even the likes of them on two different fronts?

She could hear the sound of quick, apprehensive footsteps approaching and put her helmet back on before her privacy was disturbed. In another moment the door creaked open. "Dame Thena," a servant whispered, "the empress is ready to receive you."

"I'm coming," she said, and followed him out of her chamber. He hurried along, clearly not eager to be caught between two of the most powerful Arcana with what was obviously coming. When they were outside the empress's private rooms, he opened the door for her and as soon as Thena was inside shut it and bolted down the hall.

Maeve's chambers were richly decorated with pictures and ornate statuary, but the only light in the room to see anything by came from the fireplace in the sitting room outside her bedroom. She was sitting in her high-backed chair, watching the front door as Thena arrived. "Do you realize what you cost me, today?" she said coldly.

Thena bowed deeply. "I acted only in the interests of the empire, my lady. It was clear the others were capable only of bickering amongst themselves, while the danger facing Mazones was only doubling. I tried to show them decisive action is our best hope."

The empress clutched the arm of her chair and the wood cracked. "You made a fool of me in front of the few Arcana who are willing to offer their aid to us in any form by running off like that. We may have lost them completely. Have you anything to show for your display?"

"I may not have killed Tarock, but I have crippled the Fate Driver."

"Hrrrmm. You underestimate Shardak," Maeve said dubiously.

"Shardak is dead," Thena replied. "It's time his legacy joined him."

Dust fell from the ceiling and the stones shook, but all at once Maeve feel back into her chair and sighed. "Thena, you're like my own daughter. If anyone's going to turn against me, don't let it be you."

Slowly, Thena rose and approached Maeve, and gently put her hand on her ruler's shoulder. She whispered, "Never. Your disappointment scares me so much more than your power, I only did what I did for the sake of the empire."

"I know…," the empress whispered.

* * *

><p>The knock was quick and just soft enough for the apartment's occupants to hear. For a minute there was no answer, and Liss hoped she hadn't timed things so Paige was in the shower. But then the door slid open just a crack, the chain lock jangling. "Liss?" a woman asked.<p>

"Hi, Kelly," Liss said with a weary smile. "Is Paige home yet?"

The chain came off and Liss slipped inside the apartment. It was nothing fancy, with mostly secondhand furniture and electronics. "Not yet, but she called and said she was on her way a little while ago," said Kelly, who was a skinny young woman with dazzling blue eyes and pale red hair. "Liss, I heard there was a bombing or something at a high school today…was it the one you go to?" Although Liss's disheveled appearance was a telling answer by itself.

"Yeah, it was, and that's why I need to talk to Paige ASAP. She knows why it really happened," Liss said.

Kelly fidgeted. "Look, Liss, I don't want Paige getting mixed up in terrorist stuff…"

"I'm not the one who did it, they were after me! Because of this!" Liss produced the Fate Driver and held it up for Kelly to see.

"What's all the yelling about? Is my punkass kid sister in there?" someone from outside called, and then Paige walked in. "What's wrong, Liss? More of those monsters come after you?"

Kelly gaped. "You KNOW about this?"

"Only since yesterday," Paige said defensively, but the edge to her voice trailed off at the end, Paige clearly not blaming Kelly for the withering look she was getting. "What is it, Liss?"

"It is sort of about the monsters, yeah. But there's these other guys who made the stuff I use to change…they want me to go save the world. Their world. Because they're from a different one," Liss explained.

Paige arched her eyebrow and look down at Liss. "And what does that have to do with me?" she asked.

"We need to finish fixing that bike after all. To save the world," Liss grinned.

* * *

><p>Once again the light of Shardak's hidden sanctuary came together to form his face as he sensed he wasn't alone. The familiar outline of a wiry man carrying a hobo stick over one shoulder approached, and the old wizard relaxed. "Do you think she'll accept, Jack?" he asked.<p>

The wanderer set down his stick and leaned against the wall before looking up at Shardak uncertainly. "Likely, but let me ask you, do you really think she's the one we want?"

"I don't see that there's time to hope otherwise," Shardak sighed. "We need to turn things around and we need to start now. The Mythos are multiplying dangerously, and after Owan's desperate little ploy I'm worried they might well be interested in the world outside as well."

"You really think so?"

Again Shardak sighed. "See for yourself," he said, and then the image of his bearded face swirled and was replaced by a scene of the yard behind Samuel Archer High School, where an inhuman shape was already starting to coalesce…

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Paige: Is this really what you want out of life, Liss?

(Paige and Liss toil on the motorcycle)

Liss: I get the feeling it's too late to back out.

(A shadowed Mythos with a long tail curved over its head stares out from a rainy alley)

Female Voice: Come to the Sphere, outsider. Become the emblem of Shardak's folly…

(Tarock assumes a new green-armored form, carrying a huge warhammer)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

* * *

><p>Hey everybody, thanks for sticking it out this long. I know Tarock's a departure from a great many standards of Kamen Rider, the most obvious of which being a female protagonist. Personally, I'd like to see this more often, maybe not as the headliner but not as the least prominentleast powerful character in the show as they tend to be when one shows up at all. Gaim's a step in the right direction.

Second, Liss isn't of the straight-up hero variety, and has an adversarial relationship with a lot of people in her life. The reason for that is I'm attempting a more drastic character arc than you usually see with the main characters of these shows. This isn't a story with a villain protagonist, promise, but it is one where I'm attempting a bigger change from start to finish, and maybe some more shades of gray than usual.

Third, there's, well, a prevalent third party to the story in the Arcana besides the rider and the Mythos themselves. Immortal, powerful, but far from infallible, which can make them even more dangerous. Based on the Major Arcana from a tarot deck, there are quite a few of them, but I promise to make an effort not to overwhelm readers. There'll be reminders of who's who and they won't show up a lot at a time. Bonus points if you can tell which cards the ones we've seen so far were based on.

Fourth, I'm getting the story's info page at Spectrum of Madness reorganized for the new version. Check it out sometime to see the current artwork for the series, and if you need any help keeping everything straight.

Fifth, when the Fate Driver makes its announcement of "Swords Suit," that isn't talking about the suit she's wearing, but the suit in the Minor Arcana of a tarot deck that it represents. But you knew that.

Also, Tarock's special attacks are codified: "Woe" is a weak special move, "Calamity" is a strong one, and "Dire Fate" are the strongest type consisting of finishing moves (including her Rider Kicks).

Thank you very much for giving an offbeat KR fic a look! Hope you'll stick around for more!

Finally, anybody catch the anime reference in this chapter?


	5. Chapter 5: Shift Runner

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Five: Shift Runner

Previously, disillusioned student Liss Decker found herself in possession of an artifact that gave her the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior with incredible strength and powers. And by doing so, was soon under attack by hostile beings called the Mythos, who were invading another world called the Sphere but who had begun to appear on Earth as well. Liss was approached by a pair of immortals whose kind had inspired the tarot, and asked to become their champion against the Mythos, even though others of their kind might not be so welcoming. Given another card, and with it new powers, Liss agreed to think it over…

* * *

><p>The TV spilled an eerie light over Paige's living room as the comedy block faded into the evening news. Kelly looked over from the edge of the couch and gave an irritated glance to Liss where she sat on the floor, but Liss ignored it. Two days before she would've had the same reaction to someone telling her a story about knights, giant spiders and vampires who could turn into obnoxious vice principals.<p>

A somber-faced anchor addressed his viewers, "Our top story tonight concerns Samuel Archer High School, which was the site of a disaster this afternoon only hours before its vice principal was found murdered in his home. Police are declining to comment on the nature of the attack on the school at present, but students and faculty say they felt the building shaking as if it was being bombed. Others also describe attackers diving through second-floor windows."

Kelly looked disparagingly over at Paige. "You've seen Liss fighting these 'monsters,' then?" she asked.

Paige looked back. "I've seen enough, and landing right in the middle of trouble is just like my little sister. Besides, she's finally found something she's passionate about, and I don't think I'm prepared to tell a wizard he's wrong." A soft smile formed on Liss's face. That kind of thing was why Paige was the only member of her family she didn't mind talking to anymore.

"That's IT?!" Kelly exploded. "She's found something she's PASSIONATE about? Monsters?! Here, give me that magic…thing of yours!"

"Are you-" Liss protested, but Paige held up a hand.

"Let her try it, Liss," Paige said, and with an indignant look up at Kelly, Liss pulled out the Fate Driver and the new card and handed them to Kelly. She pressed the Fate Driver against her waist, but no belt strap shot out and clicked into the other side as it had when Liss had used it. She pushed the card into the slot on top, but the top stuck out, refusing to stay inside no matter how long Kelly held it down.

"What now?" Kelly asked.

"I don't know. It just happened when I put the card in before," Liss said. Kelly gave her an incredulous look, then handed took them back, and Liss put the buckle on herself the belt obligingly looped around her waist and clicked into place. She loaded the green card, and this time it stayed in.

"Pentacles Suit!" the Fate Driver said, and her increasingly familiar black undersuit formed around her before a green outline traveled down her body, a sheet of thick green armor solidified all over her, along with Y-like crest on her forehead, unlike her previous form where the armor was concentrated her mask, torso, forearms and boots.

Liss left a speechless Kelly to walk into the bathroom and stare at her reflection for a long time in the mirror. It seemed a weird thing to do, but she'd never really looked at herself in the suit before. Having a monster intent on killing her tended to hog her attention, she was finding. "So this is what it looks like…" she mumbled, noticing more how she felt in it than what she saw in the mirror.

With the red armor she'd felt stronger and faster than she ever had, and she was sure she was already ahead of anyone in her age bracket in either department. This time she only felt stronger, but a lot more than she had with the other suit. Would all of them have different specialties, once she'd found them? Or rather, when Shardak had told her where to find the other cards?

Paige knocked on the door frame, interrupting her. "I'm only letting you stay so that if any monsters show up, you can kill 'em, got it?" she said. "But seriously, get some sleep. We're starting first thing in the morning and you're crazy if you think I'm starting without you."

"Hey, Paige? Thanks. I really mean it." The green card ejected from the buckle and into her hand, switching her back to normal.

"I know, kid. I know. But I mean it too, get some sleep. And kill any monsters that show up, got it? And do it quiet, I been up all day."

Liss gave a quick nod. "I will!...Wait, what?"

* * *

><p>It was barely 6:45 when the blare of the morning news stirred Liss from her sleep on the living room couch. She helped—with prodding—to make breakfast, and only burned the eggs a little. The sun was just peeking out when they arrived at the garage. Liss was immediately set to work making a pot of coffee as Paige wheeled the bike onto the center of her workspace and got out her tools.<p>

Over the next couple hours the two of them cleaned, checked, mended and replaced parts and systems, but Liss's hands were black inside the first two minutes.

"Hey, Liss?" Paige asked after a while.

"Yeah? Want me to start her up?"

"No, but I want you to think about something," Paige replied, and ignored Liss's groan. "I know what I said to Kelly, but…Is this what you want out of life? Going to some weird other planet you don't know anything about and fighting monsters? And really think about it, don't just say yes."

"I think it's too late to back out," Liss answered.

Paige threw down her rag in frustration. "Damn it, Liss-"

But Liss raised a hand for a reprieve. "I'm saying that because I have already thought about it. And I'm serious, I do think it's too late for me to back out. The monsters already hunted me down twice, right? Unless I go on frigging TV about it, they'll probably still think I have the stuff and come after me again trying to get it. And if I don't have it, I'm gonna get killed. That enough thinking for you?"

Paige nodded, but added, "And what about the rest of us? What if they think to come after mom and dad, or me and Kelly? So they can get you in a position where you can't fight back?"

"They could've done that before now, but they didn't. They always came straight for me," Liss answered. "It doesn't seem like that's how they work. If I go to this other place and make some noise to let people know that's where I am, that's probably where they'll come to find me."

"Mmmmhmmm," Paige mumbled dubiously, then held up her empty coffee mug. "Refill."

Grumbling lightly, Liss got up to refill Paige's mug, then her own. She dipped into the bag of sugar, only to find it empty.

"Paige! We're out of sugar," Liss called.

"Then quit eating it straight out of the bag."

"I'm going to get more! Be right back!" Liss said and dashed out the door, leaving the mugs on the counter.

As she ran down to the little market on the next block over, Liss's steps slowed as she realized something. Who knew if they had markets or sugar or coffee on the Sphere. Or showers. Or tex-mex food. What about money? What would she do for that?

But no, she thought. There would be differences, but she'd adapt. After all, there had been a time when she wasn't snapping back at her parents and ditching school, and she was getting by okay…

As she walked up to the store there was a petite blonde woman in a grubby coat and jeans blocking the door with her arms while a small group of shoppers tried to edge around her. Suddenly a little boy and his mother pushed against the door to the left and managed to force their way past the woman who fell halfway out the door. The other shoppers hurried out before she could get back up. "Hey, wait…! I still have some questions!" she wailed as she watched her former captives run for their lives. Her face brightened as she saw Liss looking down at her. "You! I bet you know something about what happened at the school yesterday!"

"And who the hell are you?"

"Someone looking for the truth of that story! Someone willing to believe in the fantastic!"

"That would've been a lot more impressive if you weren't laying on the ground," Liss pointed out. The lady got up, dusted herself off and suddenly a business seemed to appear in her hand as if by magic. After everything she'd seen the last few days, Liss backed off a step out of instinct.

"What? It won't bite you."

"Lady, you were the one talking about 'the fantastic' a second ago."

The woman pressed the card into Liss's hand, and Liss glanced down at it, not eager to take her eyes off any weirdoes after what she'd seen. "Sue Gand, American Graphic. 555-555-8439. Um, great?"

"I'm here checking out the attack on the school yesterday," Sue explained.

"I don't go to school," Liss said, then tried to give the card back and get inside the market as fast as she could. Sue went after her.

"Oh yeah? Haven't heard anything about what happened? Got some people saying there were monsters there. One was like a giant bat," Sue pressed, trying to get a reaction from Liss. "A couple people even said they saw some kind of superhero in red and black fight it off."

"Sounds like they put something funny in the mystery meat yesterday," Liss mumbled, grabbing a box of sugar packets. She hurried to the front, where the man behind the register looked up nervously as Sue continued to follow after Liss.

"How amusing. Mind if I quote you on that?" she asked.

"Look, lady? Maybe you should talk to actual witnesses instead of some random person buying sugar," Liss suggested, threw some bills at the cashier and bolted with her precious cargo. She was around the corner before anyone could've seen her, practically flying down an alley and going around another until she joined up with one of the first routes she'd taught herself to lose someone tailing her. Through a crack in the side of a brick wall and then up the wall, into the second story window of the old shoe factory. Then onto the roof if that old metal ladder was still holding, which it did even though brick dust showered from where it was bolted to the top of the crumbling wall. Last time she'd use that one, Liss thought, and realized it was probably true in more ways than one.

As soon as she was up to the top, it was an easy jump to the next roof, and from there—

"Hey! You with the sugar!"

Liss looked down in surprise and saw Sue looking up at her and waving. She was expecting to see a triumphant smirk on her pursuer's face for spotting her, but instead Sue was looking up at her with eyes narrowed slightly in irritation. "I need to talk to you!" Sue yelled.

"Get lost, lady!" Liss yelled back and jumped to the next roof. The next was a short hop from that, and then she jumped onto the top of the pile of junk cars in the little scrapyard behind the building. She jumped to the hood of the car underneath, then to the ground and pushed aside the loose fence plank she'd found there. A quick glance around showed her Sue was nowhere in sight, and after a two-block sprint down to the dry concrete riverbed that bisected town, the coast still looked to be clear.

Liss slid down the side and ran into a drainage outlet that hadn't tasted water in years. She waited for a few minutes and saw Sue run by on street level, and to her annoyance stopped and looked around. Then Sue bent down and peered into the tunnel where Liss was hiding. "Hey, I just want to ask a few questions, Liss!"

It was plain to see this was getting her nowhere, so Liss stepped out into the open and climbed to the street. "Where'd you hear that name?" she demanded, wanting to know just why she was worth all this attention.

"From a young man whose mind you absolutely blew when you turned into a superhero in front of him," Sue answered. "He didn't miss a thing in describing you, either. He must've been looking VERY hard."

Well, that explained it all, didn't it? Even when he wasn't around, Ben Corland couldn't resist making life hell for her. And in saving his life from a gang of monsters, all she'd done was give him the biggest excuse he'd ever have to do that. "Look, lady-" Liss started to say, but was interrupted as Sue's pocket started to ring and she dug out a scuffed smart phone.

"What is it, Alex? I'm talking to the key witness here." Sue said in exasperation. "I KNOW it's a long way from Rittersburg, and I KNOW how much gas costs these days, but you know better than to write off a monster sighting."

Liss was about to bolt with her pursuer handily distracted, but all of a sudden she sank to her knees, but was only barely aware of the fact with her very mind seeming to go numb with cold. There was a thick white haze over everything she looked at, and her ears buzzed harshly.

The buzzing slowly seemed to condense, and Liss stiffened in terror as she felt a tiny secondary presence in her mind. Through the haze, could feel it calling out to something powerful and alien nearby. Something that was calling back. Something vastly, PAINFULLY more powerful than any of the strange beings she'd yet encountered.

Thankfully the haze and the yearning for contact in the back of her mind were already fading, but what was that? Was it the full experience of the cold sensation she felt right before running into a Mythos or Arcanum? Whatever the answer, it would need to wait. She was probably about to land in big trouble.

"I'll tell you why, you hired me because the last lady to have this beat quit. And you can tell Troy I don't believe that's his real name, too. Hey…kid, you all right?" Sue asked. When Liss looked around feverishly without answering, she said into her phone. "Hey Alex, a lead just fell in my lap. Gotta go." She put the phone away and looked down at Liss again. "Seriously kid, what's up?"

"Something's here," Liss croaked. "Something really, really strong."

"So you're admitting to everything," Sue said, but didn't press the point and started to survey the area. "Hey!" she said suddenly, and pointed. Liss followed her finger and saw someone in a dirty black robe shuffling up the canal. They took another two steps and fell forward.

Sue and Liss jumped the guardrail and slid down to the bottom of the canal, but Sue was the first by the stranger's side. "Hey, are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"

The person in the robe raised her head to look at them, and they could see the thin, dirt-smudged face of a girl about Liss's age. Her dark hair was tangled and her gray eyes bleary. She made a futile attempt to get back up, and they saw her legs and feet were bare, and marked by scrapes and bruises. "I am…lost," she choked out in a dry voice.

"Lost? Where are you going? Maybe we can help," Sue offered.

"Don't volunteer me like that," Liss grunted.

"Why not? You're supposed to be some kind of superhero, right? Isn't that what they do?"

Liss was about to snipe back, but wasn't that what Shardak asked her to be? Did that mean the goodness of her heart had to be why she said yes to the powers of Tarock, though? The girl shook her head then, and said, "No, I am…Lost. That is…me."

"Okay, then…Lost," Sue replied. "Are you okay? Do you need some kind of help?"

"I must find her. She calls to me," Lost answered, then managed to get up and limp closer to Liss. "She calls to me…"

"I don't call you," Liss said. Lost lurched closer and held out her hand, a looking of longing on her face, and Liss braced herself as she started to feel cold again, but then it stopped and Lost's face fell.

"You aren't her…!" she said in shocked disappointment.

"Who, Lost? Who calls to you?" Sue pressed.

"Watch out, it's her!" Liss yelled.

"What's her?" Sue asked.

"She's the thing I sensed just now!"

Lost's turned an incandescent black and she clutched her head. "She calls to me," Lost wailed. "She says terrible, terrible things…but it's the only way to stop the SOUNDS!"

A jet of a black liquid spewed from Lost's mouth, then curved upward into the sky, covering it with a thick black cloud. Thunder cracked and heavy rain started to fall. Sue looked over at Liss to ask what was going on, but Liss had already thrown her box of sugar aside and locked the Fate Drive around her waist and was slapping her new green card inside.

"Pentacles Suit!"

As soon as the thick green armor solidified, Liss was stomping toward Lost. The rain picked up almost as if in response to her intended attack on in its creator and turned to sharp fragments of sleet that pelted against Liss's body. Sue screamed and went diving into the nearest sewage outlet for cover.

More of the dark rain was puddling in front of Lost, but as Liss looked closer it wasn't just making a puddle it was making a _pile_, like some kind of slime, that was already starting to quiver. Liss jumped forward to restrain Lost but the slime suddenly shot up and blocked her, and batted her aside with a thick rubbery arm. By the time Liss had gotten back up it had shaped itself into a towering creature roughly the shape of a person, but covered in chitin armor that was a poisonous yellow in color. Instead of hands it had scissor-like claws, each a foot from tip to wrist. A multitude of tiny beady eyes were lodged in its face above a pair of clacking mandibles, and a long tail with a curved stinger waved back and forth above its head.

"Bane of the hunter, Scorpio, arise," Lost croaked hoarsely, barely understandable over the rain. "No…stop putting them in my head…please…!"

Liss climbed to her feet. She'd only been winded by the monster's punch, but she was still sore in a lot of places from the beating she'd taken in her last fight. At least this time it wasn't some twelve-foot behemoth in her way.

The monster sprang and Liss jumped back. Not as far as she'd been able with the other set of armor, but nearly twenty feet beyond the impact of its attack was okay by her, though. Flecks of concrete from the bottom of the riverbed bounced off her mask from the force of the monster's attack…he could probably do a lot of damage if he got the chance.

But this time, she had an advantage. Thanks to Jack's parting gift, this time she already knew what she could.

Liss passed her hand in front of the Fate Driver and light flashed from the dome. "Arms of Fate! Gran Crusher!" A warhammer with a two foot-long head stamped on the face with a five-pointed star, a pentacle, appeared. She grasped the haft with both hands, and the monster clacked its pincers at her. Then in a blur of motion it grabbed for her neck with one, but Liss ducked just in time and swung her hammer, connecting with its side and knocking it back a few steps. Scorpio screeched then threw itself at her, claws outstretched.

Its claws closed around the haft of the Gran Crusher, Liss holding it out to block them from getting to her neck. Liss kicked Scorpio hard on in the side and knocked it off balance for the second it took her to roll onto her back and fling Scorpio with the superior strength this form gave her to land thirty feet away, green ichor seeping from its wound. Lost screamed and managed to get up and sprint up away from the fight.

"Wait!" shouted Liss, who wanted a few answers herself. She crouched and jumped to overtake Lost, but as she cleared the rock spikes suddenly Scorpio clamped one pincer around her ankle and she crashed back down. Scorpio dashed after Lost itself, and she screamed and fell again. As it got close, instead of attacking Scorpio turned and fixed its beady eyes on Liss, clacking its claws threateningly.

Liss gripped the Gran Crusher. So she'd have to go through the monster to get to Lost. Well, that was okay by her.

She jumped forward and shoulder-checked Scorpio in the chest. In the second it was vulnerable she spun and smashed her hammer into the side of Scorpio's head, and it jerked violently to one side. The Gran Crusher went up to deal another blow, but suddenly Scorpio lunged forward and pinned her forearms with his pincers and then its tail snaked forward and buried its stinger in the armor on her chest.

Liss struggled to break free, but as she did she noticed a feeling of heat where the stinger was embedded even with the icy rain that was still beating down. Desperately Liss kicked at Scorpio's stomach trying to force it off, the sharp sides of its claws cutting into her wrists. The heat grew and focused on a single tiny point, and Liss was sure it was just about to finish cutting through her armor. She headbutted Scorpio as hard as she could, slicing one eye open on her forehead's sharpened crest, and it hissed and let go of her wrists as it staggered back, and she grabbed its tail and yanked out the stinger before it could go any deeper. Scorpio whipped it out of her hand before she could snap it off.

The hole in her armor from where Scorpio had pierced it was actually smoking, and that was all Liss needed to go on the offensive before it had a chance to attack her again. She slammed one foot into its chest, staggering it, then landed a running jump-kick sending Scorpio flying into the air and over the rim of the canal. She jumped after him, raising the Gran Crusher above her head for the death blow, but without warning Scorpio rolled onto his back and then his arms extended out ten feet and grabbed her by the ankles, and she slammed straight down onto the street. The impact only knocked the wind out of her, but the Gran Crusher slid out of her reach.

Scorpio looked like some kind of demon as it loomed over her against the darkened sky, its tail whipping back and forth before stopping over one shoulder. A jet of hissing green venom shot out at her, and Liss grabbed the bladed bracelet from her belt. "Calamity! Pent Defender!" said her belt as she scraped her arm against the ground. The bracelet glowed for a second and then a circular hunk of rock came loose from the ground and stuck to it, looking like a shield, with the lines of a five-pointed star etched into the surface. The venom splattered against it and hissed as it melted away the shield, but it only lasted a second before losing its strength and the rock still held.

Quickly Liss released the shield. "Pent Attacker!" said her belt, and the shield shot out and collided with Scorpio. Its head jerked back and she was able to wriggle free of its claws, and grab her hammer.

"Woe! Terra Bind!" Long arms formed from dirt and asphalt reached out of the ground and seized Scorpio by its ankles and shoulders. It struggled, but already Liss was crouched and launched herself into the air.

"Calamity! Edifice Cracker!" Her first glowed with green power and she punched the monster with all the awesome strength this form provided, sending out a shockwave that shook the walls of the canal. The monster screamed, and exploded into blue-green slime.

With her enemy taken care of, Liss looked around to try to find Lost and saw her scrambling helplessly to crawl up the slippery side of the riverbed. For a second their eyes met, and Lost gaped at her in terror. "Wait, I just want-" Liss called, but it was too late. Lost had started to turn transparent and in a faded away completely.

"Damn it," Liss said, and sighed. The rain kept beating down, and splattered icily against her undersuit through the hole Scorpio had burnt through her armor. As she tried to figure out what to do next, the black cloud covering the sky started to turn gray and the pelting rain weakened. Seemed as if killing Scorpio had killed the power behind the storm, or maybe Lost leaving. As she considered the possibilities, something happened that made Liss freeze where she stood.

The rain she could feel on her suit was flowing downward. Not dripping off, _flowing_. The black water, or whatever it was, that had gathered into puddles was flowing over cracks and debris toward the pile of slime that was all that was left of Scorpio. It quivered and started to roll together and harden again. Liss brought the Gran Crusher up and slammed it into the growing mass but an arm formed itself out of one side and batted her aside.

Stars filled Liss's vision for a few seconds. The ground trembled and she desperately shook her head to clear her vision, and didn't like what she saw. Scorpio had been reborn, but not as a cross between a person and a scorpion. Now it was just a huge arachnid, almost sixteen feet from end to end. It turned to face her and she found herself looking into an eye the size of her entire head.

Scorpio's tail shot at Liss, who jumped back just before it could smash her into the street. She charged forward and swung at an eye with the Gran Crusher but Scorpio seized her around the middle with one claw and slammed her through a brick wall. It closed around her trying to chop her in two, and she heard a scream of terror as she smashed the Gran Crusher into the point where the pincers met and they flexed just enough for her to drop to the ground. It was only then she realized that scream had been hers.

She sprinted in an arc toward Scorpio's side to attack again, but its tail whipped around and sprayed a jet of acid toward her. Liss jumped out of the way and landed on the bridge crossing the canal, and ran for all she was worth across it just before Scorpio's tail lashed out and crushed it right behind her. This thing was too much for her the way things stood. She needed an edge…and knew where to find it, if it was ready.

Scorpio clacked its mandibles angrily at her, and Liss crouched and jumped as far as this form would let her before a claw shattered the ground where she'd been.

* * *

><p>The door to the garage almost came right off its hinges. "Is it ready?"<p>

"Where the hell have you been, Liss? We were supposed to do this togeth…what's with your voice? Oh shit, did you run into another one of those monsters out there?" Paige demanded.

"Yeah! Is it ready?" Liss asked again, dashing over to the bike and swinging her leg over to mount it. Then she tried to kick-start the engine, which only sputtered pitifully. She tried it again, and again only got a sputter from it. Liss snarled in frustration and was about to get off and just kick it, but as she did her body temperature seemed to rise, and then the heat flowed out through her hands, into the bike.

The engine roared to life, and a white glow spread over the rest of it. Within a few seconds it had solidified into thick metal plates all over the bike, colored pure black but with dark green stripes along the bottom of the plates. The headlight under the fairing had become a dark green. The light hadn't even worked the one time they'd gotten the bike to start at all.

The garage door clanked open as Paige lifted it up for Liss. "Did you know it would do that?" she shouted over the engine.

"Kind of!" Liss answered, smiling behind her mask. "Jack said there was something stylish I could use…these magic guys make you guess at everything, huh?"

"You'll have to tell me how you know that when you get back."

That made Liss bite her lip. "I don't know if I can come back right after this…I got a lead on where the monsters come from and I gotta chase it down as fast as I can."

Paige just nodded when she heard that, her face totally neutral. Liss squirmed a little in her seat. Somehow it was worth than if Paige had been angry with her answer. "Well then, guess you gotta do what you gotta do," Paige said. "Just come back and let me know what happens, okay? You're still my dumb little sister, and I worry."

"I will, don't worry!" Liss called before she revved the bike one more time and shot out of the garage like a missile. As she sped through the streets back to where she'd left Scorpio, Liss was turning hard enough the side of her boot almost brushed the ground. She expected if she looked back she'd be leaving flames in her wake.

A bike this cool didn't deserve to be thought of as just "her bike." If it could change like she could, and she'd be going back and forth from Earth to that weird other world on it, what about…Shift Runner? Yeah, she liked the sound of that…

Scorpio was still on the street running by the riverbed, but a few of the old brick buildings nearby had been flattened by the angry monster. The hissing of Scorpio's acid venom reached her ears as she shot past a few. Liss hefted her hammer and rested it against her shoulder as she came up behind her enemy.

It was about to fire off another jet of its acid when Liss stood up and smashed the back of Scorpio's tail with the Gran Crusher. The blue-green ichor coated her weapon, and Liss glanced over her shoulder to see Scorpio clack its claws angrily and scramble after her. Chunks of rocks were knocked off the edge of the road by its pounding legs and tumbled down into the riverbed.

Liss leaned hard and the bike crashed through the old chain link fence on the edge of the riverbed. Scorpio jumped and landed in front of her, splaying its legs and claws so it blocked almost the entire span in front of her. Its tail oozed green blood from where she'd attacked it, but still it sprayed a plume of its venom at her, and followed as she swerved to avoid it. Small droplets struck her and the bike's armor, but she ignored it as she got close enough to her enemy to strike back.

Liss pulled back hard on the handlebars, popping a wheelie. "Calamity! Earth Needle!" said the belt, and she let the bike fall back on two wheels, and as it did there was a resounding boom and rock spikes twice the size of the ones she'd managed before erupted from the ground under Scorpio, impaling it in seven places. It screamed and wriggled to free itself, reaching out to try to snatch Liss as she sped by, missing by only a foot. Sighing in relief, she stopped and turned around again a hundred feet away.

Scorpio had lifted itself off the spikes and turned to charge Liss. She drove right at it as fast as she could with only one hand on the handlebars, whirling the Gran Crusher like a windmill with the other. The head glowed brighter with each rotation until it was a blazing golden wheel beside Liss. When she and Scorpio were hardly ten feet away, her belt said, "Dire Fate! Riding Impact!" and threw the Gran Crusher.

The hammer shot like a streak of light and sliced into Scorpio's face. The monster didn't even cry out before slumping forward, lifeless, and melting into blue slush that turned into a blue vapor that was immediately carried away on the wind.

Liss pulled her bike to a stop and looked around, at the gray sky and the jagged remnants of brick walls from Scorpio's rampage. She was about to leave her familiar world behind. Who knew what the rest of the Sphere was like, or how the people would react to her, or when she'd be back again?

But no, she'd made up her mind. Liss turned around and looked up the riverbed. "Okay, Fate Driver," she said, feeling only a little self-conscious. "I don't know if you can hear me or how this works, but take me to the Sphere." She gunned the motor and was about to take off when a voice called out.

"That was amazing, kid!" Sue called, finally crawling out of her hiding spot. "Got time to pose for a couple pictures?!"

Liss sighed behind her mask, not in the mood for more people demanding things of her, and started to motor away. She'd been expecting to have to hit a certain speed before she jumped to the Sphere, but right away an opening of bright white light appeared in front of her. She passed through it and was drifting through the void outside the tiered world of the Sphere.

"Okay," Liss said, "take me to Lost."

The bike quivered for a second then stopped, and continued to drift slowly forward.

"Okay, then…take me to Shardak's hideout," Liss tried. It seemed like the words hadn't even left her mouth before the motorcycle turned sharply and started picking up speed, and Liss held tight onto the handlebars, afraid of what might happen if she fell off before getting inside. A second later the wall of the Sphere parted around her like water and the bike cruised to a stop just on the edge of some low, barren hills.

A wind whistled by, and Liss looked around at the brown hills with only a couple of stunted trees decorating their crests. She really was in another world now.

And she was on her own.

Suddenly she heard a snort, and saw she wasn't sitting on a motorcycle anymore…

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Shardak: A girl who created a Mythos? This is strange indeed…

(Liss walks through a village of wooden huts and dirty tents, attracting strange looks)

Female Voice: Come to me, come to me and we will destroy the Sphere!

(A bird-like monster wrecks a row of huts as it flies by at high speed)

Liss: Looks like it's time to start building my rep around here.

(In her Pentacles form Liss rides a clockwork horse into battle)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

* * *

><p>Here we see what appears to be the source of the Mythos monsters. What exactly is Lost, and who calls out to her? Someone pretty scary, it seems. Also seen is the power some Mythos monsters will have to come back to life as something even bigger and meaner. The isn't quite the trope from Sentai; something along the size of Inner Phantoms from Kamen Rider Wizard, or Evolved Inves from Gaim is more along the lines of what I have in mind when it says "giant" in this story. Usually.<p>

In this chapter I ruin one of my better earlier works for some people with the introduction of Sue, but one of the big problems I had with the original KR Tarock was it didn't have a good cast of characters. Hopefully I can improve on that this time around.

I'm sure we all know the tradition some rider shows have of basing their first two monsters on a spider and a bat. As you can see, I took it one step farther with Scorpio. He's based on the scorpion who killed Orion the hunter, hence Lost's announcement when he finishes forming. I promise I won't be copying Shocker from start to finish.

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6: Dark Wings

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Six: Dark Wings

Not that it needs to be said, but I don't own the Kamen Rider trademark. Just the characters and settings depicted in this work.

Disillusioned youth Liss Decker found herself suddenly caught between two supernatural combatants and took the powers of one for herself in the aftermath. Soon she learned of the Sphere, a tiered world that was home to the Arcana, powerful immortal beings, and whose inhabitants were beset by the Mythos, strange and hostile monstrous creatures. Seeing an escape from an oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed to become Tarock, a champion for the people of the Sphere. However, Liss then met a strange girl calling herself Lost who spawned a Mythos monster before disappearing. Restoring an old motorcycle she dubbed the Shift Runner, Liss traveled to the Sphere in pursuit of Lost….

* * *

><p>Liss held on tight to what were no longer a set of handlebars but thick leather reins. They were attached to a bridle around the mouth of a horse covered in irregular, silvery metal plates with a bronze-colored mane of long wires. It looked sidelong over its shoulder at her, snorted a cloud of steam and looked forward again, scraping at the ground with a sharp metal hoof.<p>

"Shift Runner?" she asked uncertainly. The horse gave a tinny, echoing whicker in recognition then turned to face forward again. "Which one's Shardak's hideout?" she asked. "I don't remember." It whickered again and trotted to the face of one hill and stopped. Liss climbed down and walked up to the side of the hill where a cave mouth opened out of nowhere for her.

"Hey Shardak!" she called inside. "You here?"

"Did it look as if I'm going anywhere?" the wizened voice from the day before answered.

"No, not really," Liss answered and finally allowed herself to relax. The green card ejected and her armor flickered away. "Is the sword card ready yet?"

"Right down to business, eh?" Shardak asked, the ghostly visage of his face forming in the center of the cave. The other card she'd had sat on the rocky pedestal, with most of the burn marks cleaned away. It had been damaged in her fight with Thena, who like Shardak was one of the Arcana, an immortal and powerful native of the Sphere. For reasons still unknown to Liss, Thena thought she was a threat despite having just taken care of one of the monsters supposedly ravaging the Sphere.

Shardak had been able to repair the damage Thena had done to the Fate Driver, but Liss had had to leave without another of its special cards, that gave her different powers and weapons, to let Shardak fix it too. In this strange place, she was trying to get all the advantages she could. And that included holding onto the support of the only person who it seemed could fix her gear, by keeping him in the loop.

"I'm not half of what I used to be, and this takes a lot out of me," Shardak sighed, obviously not happy to be reminded. "It's going to be a bit longer. I take it you were able to destroy that last Mythos?"

"Yeah," Liss replied. "It got even bigger after I beat it the first time. Do they usually do that?"

Shardak squinted. "No, they don't. Another reason to worry. Still, as long as you didn't have any trouble with it…surprising though, it was powerful enough for me detect all the way from here."

"Well, there was one thing. I came back trying to find the girl who made the monster-"

"The girl who made the monster?" Shardak interrupted. "What girl?!"

Liss took a step back out of reflex at Shardak's outburst. "A girl in a black robe. She said her name was Lost, and she was looking for someone who was calling to her. For a second she even thought it was me, and then she puked this black stuff into the sky and it rained and made a scorpion monster. Then after I killed him it stopped raining, but he got bigger and I had to kill him again…" Liss trailed off, it being obvious even to her how inane that was starting to sound, even with the doors that had been opened in her mind over the last few days.

"This is alarming, about Mythos being able to revive in more powerful shapes…but to identify a creator, that is welcome news. I wonder why she might've thought you were calling to her, though," Shardak mused.

"I keep having this cold feeling in my arm whenever I run into a monster. It started happening when I ran into that spider monster and some blood got on my hand." She thought better of mentioning she could tell if an Arcanum was close the same way. That seemed something to hold onto for the moment.

"Intriguing, a means to detect the presence of other Mythos. That should come in handy," Shardak said.

"Yeah, it's great. Any idea where Lost might be?"

"My abilities are only a shadow of what they once were," Shardak sighed. "Once, I could have found her easily. Now…"

"All right, all right," Liss said. "But why are we so clueless about the Mythos if you guys fought them before? You must've had some idea where they came from if you beat them."

"We tracked them to their lair, but Master Thyer, the first Tarock and the warriors they were able to gather went in, and only Tarock came out. He expired before he could tell anyone anything, and all that was ever found inside was Master Thyer's sword."

"Can you at least tell me where the other two cards are now?"

"I will tell you that the first is located in Avalon, the empire that controls most of the territory of the Sphere's bottom levels. The card of Cups is in the possession of a nobleman named Lyrin Doxo, a good friend of the emperor. If you explain your intentions to him, I'm sure he'll be willing to give to you."

_You mean your intentions,_ Liss thought. She hardly knew this world or its people, did he really expect her to immediately accept his take on the situation and do everything he said without question? As long he was the only one who could tell her where the rest of the cards were, though…

"Are you all right, Liss?" Shardak asked.

"I'm fine. This place, Avalon? Is it really far away?"

Shardak nodded. "It's almost at the bottom of the Sphere. Your mount should have little trouble getting you there, though."

"Okay. Am I gonna have to come all the way back for the sword card when it's ready?"

Shardak shook his head. "I'll ask Jack to bring it to you."

"And what about the last card?"

"That's for later," Shardak said firmly.

"Maybe that one would help more," Liss replied.

"Perhaps it would, but it's in a far more perilous location at present. If that changes, I will let you know at once," Shardak said, not budging.

Liss nodded, not wanting to say anything she'd regret, and knew that could probably take on a whole new dimension in a place like this. "Okay, one other thing before I go. Jack said I should find a way of my own back to the Sphere, so I used the Fate Driver on a motorcycle and it changed into like a super bike. But as soon as I got here it turned into a horse. Is it supposed to do that?"

Shardak knitted his brow. "It wouldn't surprise me."

"It wouldn't _surprise _you?" Liss blurted angrily. He was asking her to risk her life fighting monsters in a weird other world—even if it was better than the one she'd left—and he didn't know how the tools he was giving her worked? What kind of wizard was he?

The ghostly face sighed. "Liss, you need to understand I had grand plans for the Fate Driver, but little time to explore its full capabilities before I was reduced to this, and the first Tarock was more concerned with helping us wipe out the Mythos than experimenting with the intricacies of his abilities. Certainly not with finding out how Tarock's powers might be reflected differently in the world you come from.

"But," he added, "you're acquitting yourself well so far. I'm sure we'll learn much in the days to come."

"Speaking of the day, guess I better go save it," Liss said.

Shardak cleared his throat as she started back out of the cave. "Thank you for informing me of your find. This changes everything about the Mythos."

"Yeah…you're welcome."

* * *

><p>All she could see were stars for what seemed like hours, but finally Sue was able to look up into a bright yellow sky…yellow sky?!<p>

She sat up quickly in alarm, and wasn't reassured by what she saw then. She was sitting on a rough flagstone in the courtyard of a castle with a tower at each corner, and groups of people in dirty, tattered clothing shooting her cautious glances. Then four masked men in heavy Roman-looking armor pushed their way out of the crowds to surround her.

"Freeze, intruder!" he commanded, the tip of his trident giving a very unfriendly electrical crackle for emphasis.

"What's going on…?" Sue whimpered.

* * *

><p>With her request to take them to Avalon, Shift Runner trotted along an empty field that stretched from horizon to horizon. Above Liss could make out large balls of light like suns that were probably the ones she'd seen hovering in the center of the Sphere during her approach. Looking the other way, though, the sky was the same pale yellow as on the other side, no glassy wall with empty space beyond. Maybe she wasn't close enough to the edge to see it anymore.<p>

The wind picked up and blew straight down her right arm. Liss reined Shift Runner in and pulled her jacket over one shoulder to look at it, sighing in annoyance to see a bunch of the seams had ripped and a big hole was forming where the sleeve should've connected to the body.

The thought of going back and prepping for a trip occurred, but her wallet was nearly empty and that meant bumming from Paige or Kelly, probably the only people still talking to her. Would Shardak know if she left for a while to get some stuff and come back, and know she hadn't planned ahead? Would he think twice about letting her keep Tarock's powers?

He was nothing but a cloudy face now, but he still had some power. What if that included the power to take back the Fate Driver if she didn't live up to his expectations? Had ideas of her own about how to do the job?

No, she wasn't going to stand for that. He wouldn't need her if he could do anything about the Mythos himself. She'd play nice for now, but Liss Decker wasn't anybody's puppet.

Besides, she was tough. She was adaptable. She'd figure out her food situation.

Another few minutes of riding brought Liss a sore behind from the bouncing and an angled spike of crystal piercing the ground and extending into the sky, presumably disappearing into the level above.

"So…what now?" Liss asked, as if expecting the horse to answer her. It whickered and walked up to the crystal and the Fate Driver tingled. There was a feeling of pulling, and her vision turned completely blue and she was aware of nothing but speed even though she couldn't feel anything happening around her. Then just as suddenly she and Shift Runner were at the foot of the crystal pillar, but maybe a mile away she could see a cluster of ragged tents with people milling around.

"Well, that's faster'n the subway, I guess," Liss said. Shift Runner gave its tinny whicker in reply and started toward the tents.

As they got closer the people at the edges of the small camp stopped and stared at Liss and her metal mount. Two of them unshouldered crossbows, but with her giving no signs of hostility didn't take aim just yet. Once she was near the edge of the little camp Liss could see a pair of stone huts peeking out just above the tops of the tents.

"What have we here?" asked a bald man in a robe that might have been white once, but was caked with dirt and a few especially dark blotches that looked like they might have been blood.

"Toles, we have to keep moving!" another man, his face and arms thin and frail-looking, said with urgency as he emerged from the camp behind the first. "The attacks aren't going to stop until there's no-one left to attack! Better we move now while it's light and we can see a threat coming!" He paused at the sight of the girl on her metal horse. "And who, pardon my audacity, might you be?"

"Li-" she began, then stopped. As unsure as she might have been about the Sphere and Shardak's agenda yet, she was supposed to be making a name for herself. Why not use the one they already knew? "I'm Tarock."

"Hear that, Cherma?" Toles said. "Tarock's come to aid us!"

"Not exactly," Liss explained. "I'm supposed to go someplace called Avalon."

"Someplace called Avalon?" Cherma asked, eying her suspiciously. "Who doesn't know what Avalon is?"

They were interrupted as the piercing cry of a bird cut the air.

No. _Two _piercing cries at the same time.

Liss looked up and saw something in the sky flying toward them and flying low. The unmistakable chill ran up Liss's arm, and she locked the Fate Driver into place almost automatically.

"Pentacles Suit!"

Shift Runner reared up on its hind legs as Liss…no, she had to start thinking of herself as Tarock, was clad in her thick green armor once again. Most of the people had ducked into their tents for what little protection that would give them as the Mythos attacked, but some peeked back out at the Fate Driver's announcement.

"See, my friends!" Toles yelled, grinning. "Shardak's champion has come to save us!"

Well, that wasn't the response Shardak had warned her about…

"Let's go!" Tarock said and wheeled Shift Runner around to gallop straight at the Mythos. Tarock rose herself up to crouch in the saddle, and when the Mythos was overhead she jumped, grabbed it by the leg and was carried into the air.

The Mythos looked down at her and continued to look straight ahead as it did. It was a cross between a person and a bird, with a coat of dark grey feathers and wings extending out from its arms and leathery talons instead of feet, but with two mottled vulture-like heads sprouting from its shoulders.

Tarock passed her hand in front of her belt and clenched the haft of the Gran Crusher. She swung at the Mythos but it descended suddenly and her boots were brushing against the bumpy ground, throwing off her attack. It flew lower until it was hardly two feet off the ground and dragging Tarock along the ground behind it, shaking and bumping her on the ground until she finally let go of its foot and came to a rolling stop as the Mythos flew on.

Armor smeared with dirt, Tarock got back up. The Mythos swooped around for another pass. Tarock grabbed the bladed bracelet off her belt and scraped it against the ground. "Pent Defender!" said the Fate Driver, and a shield of rock collected around it. As the Mythos closed in it opened its left beak and a barrage of light balls shot out, peppering Tarock but she caught the worst of it on her shield with just a few scorches on her legs.

_This isn't going to work_, she thought. The Mythos was too mobile for the only powers she had available. There was only one chance.

The Mythos turned around to strafe Tarock again. As it neared, opening its beak and starting to spew its light balls again, the Fate Driver said, "Woe! Terra Bind!" A rocky arm shot out of the ground and grabbed the monster by the leg, and before it could pull itself free Tarock charged up and nailed it in the side with her hammer.

The monster screeched in surprise with one head and turned its other to try to blast Tarock, but she was too close and her attack sent it into a crazed spiral as it shot past her. It kept going until it was out of sight, and Tarock sighed and let the Pentacles card eject from her belt and turn her back into plain old Liss.

"I don't believe it," breathed Toles.

"You really fended off the Roc," Cherma laughed a bewildered laugh as he if he couldn't believe it.

"Rock?"

"Roc. The Mythos you just fought," Cherma explained. "It's been toying with us for a week. It'd always attack, destroy our camp and kill a person or two…this is the first time it's left without casualties."

"Tarock," Toles said. "I beg of you, journey with us to Avalon. You did a splendid job but I doubt we've seen the last of that creature."

Liss's stomach growled just then. "Is dinner included?" she asked.

* * *

><p>Darkness settled in soon, and talk of moving on as soon as possible was put aside with the Mythos having actually been fought off.<p>

Dinner was prepared and Liss was given a plate with a steaming slab of meat and a pair of vegetables that had a purple skin but turned out to taste like baked potatoes. As warm as Toles had been, though, the other people in the camp looked at Liss cautiously as she got near and said nothing to her. She went over to eat by herself near where Shift Runner stood, seemingly keeping watch for the monster's return.

"Give me a yell if you see anything, okay boy?" she said, and Shift Runner snorted.

She dug into dinner, thinking some about what kind of city Avalon might be like as she did. If it was a modern metropolis with skyscrapers with hundreds of windows and antennae on the top, or castles and walls and straw huts.

And if it was one of the two big civilized spots around the Sphere, there'd probably be a couple of the Arcana there. Shardak seemed pretty sure she'd get a warmer welcome than she had from Thena, but she'd believe it when she saw it.

Half of the meat was gone before Liss saw anyone venture outside the edges of the camp. Three laughing kids started running around in the fading light. One boy held his arms out to his sides and ran into another, knocking him down. The third, a girl who looked a little older than the others, lifted her hands over her head as if holding the haft of a weapon. She locked eyes with Liss for a second, and Liss looked away. It looked like it was going to be a cold night, and she had enough on her mind already

* * *

><p>A rough hand shook Liss awake.<p>

"Go away, Paige," she mumbled.

Again her shoulder was shaken roughly. "Toles and Cherma want you to arbitrate," a man grunted.

"Arbitrate…?" Liss grumbled and looked at the burly man above her with bleary eyes.

"To settle their argument!" he snapped, then stomped away. Her eyes still bleary, Liss got up and stumbled off toward the center of the camp where she could hear a heated argument taking place. Standing around a table were Toles, Cherna and a group of other people. Toles stabbed at a map with his finger.

"I'm telling you, _this _is the way!" Toles said.

"Well, perhaps our champion can help us to decide on a course of action," Cherma said, looking straight at Liss, and right after he did so did the rest of the group.

"And what decision's that?" she asked as she walked to the table, the group hastily parting in front of her.

Toles glared at Cherma before he answered. He pointed toward a thick forest on the map, beyond which was a drawing of a city. "I say we should pass through the forest on the way to Avalon. That damned bird won't be able to attack us with all that cover."

"_And_ it'll take at least another day for us to reach Avalon if we have to make our way through all those trees," Cherma added. "And Mythos are everywhere. Who's to say there any's any number of them hiding in there?" He pointed instead to a picture of a valley with hills on one side and a row of mountains on the other. "If we go this way we'll be at the gates of Avalon by nightfall."

"And easy targets for the Roc," Toles said.

"Are you forgetting so quickly what she accomplished yesterday?" Cherma asked accusingly, and pointed at Liss. "Did she not rid us of the Roc yesterday? Do you doubt she could manage it twice, Toles?"

Toles sighed and looked over at her. "Well, do you have any thoughts, Tarock?"

"Um," was all Liss could think to say. Why was she choking up? She'd thought about the strategic value of the terrain plenty of times for eluding people. The only one who'd ever given her trouble was that reporter lady, but Sue chased down people for a living.

No, she was used to using the terrain to her advantage when she didn't have to think of anyone but herself. Having to think of how her choice would affect a group of people was a first.

As she looked over the map, Cherma's warnings struck a chord. In a dark, crowded forest, she didn't like the idea of Mythos having lots of places to hide, and all the trees around that could become hazards for the group she was supposed to watch out for when super-powered attacks started flying. Not a good way to start building a reputation.

The valley route would leave them open but not for as long if Cherma was right, and the Roc wouldn't be able to sneak up on them. Besides, she had already fought it off, hadn't she?

"We should take the route through the forest!" Toles insisted. "That valley is too much open ground, making us too easy a target for something we know is after us!"

"And those trees could be hiding anything!" Cherma retorted.

"Why don't I go scout ahead and see if maybe there is something in the forest?" Liss interrupted. "Be ready to leave when I get back." She ran back to Shift Runner before they could say anything and rode off toward the ribbon of dark green in the distance.

The forest was a wide green wall stretching nearly out of sight in either direction. It was a somewhat strange sight to Liss, who'd never gotten to leave the dingy city where she'd been before coming to the Sphere. The trees were packed pretty close with no trail Liss could make out, but enough that people could make their way through. There wouldn't be much room to fight if they were attacked, though, even if she was sure Tarock had the strength to fell trees.

But as Shift Runner made it to the edge of the trees the cold feeling that warned of the presence of the Mythos went right up Liss's arm and across her shoulders, lingering rather than fading once she'd noticed it.

Something was hiding in there. Something powerful, and something she probably wouldn't to run into with a lot of people around getting in the way. And definitely not something she wanted sneaking up on her in a dark, claustrophobic forest…

She turned Shift Runner around and started back. Looked it was going to be the quick way after all.

* * *

><p>Somehow, the Sphere seemed to be getting even colder as Liss led the small caravan of refugees into the valley atop Shift Runner. Or maybe she'd just popped another few seams on her jacket. Wasn't sure why she still had it, Ben Corland had gotten it for her. Kind of surprising he hadn't brought that up the last time she'd seen him…<p>

A group of children, the ones Liss had seen the night before among them, ran out in front of the procession, chasing each other and laughing. The girl from the previous night ran up beside her and asked, "Will you slay the beast today, Tarock?"

"If it shows up, that's the plan," Liss answered.

"Get back here, you two!" a woman called from somewhere behind. "If the Mythos does attack the last place she's going to want you is right in front of her!"

The children ran back to the caravan, smiling and laughing. The girl who'd talked to Liss looked up at her for another moment with a dazzling smile before running to catch up with the others.

Nothing happened as the day wore on and the sky darkened even as the strange points of light in the sky continued their slow orbit. Liss didn't like it. She was used to being the one sneaking around looking to get one over on someone. What the hell, though. It'd help her to learn what it was like so she could improve her technique when she was the one sneaking around again.

They'd gone around a bend and could just see points of light in the far distance. Most floated in air, beacons on watchtowers or in windows. "I think I see it!" Liss called back to the rest of the caravan. The people started to murmur and chatter amongst themselves, tiredly but with relief from what Liss could hear from so far out in front.

Then a chill raced up her arm.

She'd just slapped the Fate Driver into place when the rush of wind hit, ripping her from Shift Runner's saddle. Liss curled her legs against her chest in a hurry to keep her robo-horse from landing on them as it fell over. The members of the procession screamed as some were thrown against the rocks at the slope of the valley and the others knocked to the ground.

"Pentacles Suit!"

Even in the fading light the dark shape of the Roc Mythos closing in for another pass. What options did she really have? It'd probably be watching for her Earth Fist again, and she wasn't sure she could get high enough to hit it otherwise even with as low as it was coming in for its attack. Already the wind was picking up again as it neared, and it seemed there was no choice.

Tarock crouched and jumped as high as she could just before another blast of wind ripped down the valley from the Roc's powerful wings. It got closer and closer as she reached the top of her jump and cocked back an arm for the split-second she'd have before it plowed into her. The beady eyes in both heads fixed on her, and then the Roc opened its right beak and a ray of light shot out and blasted Tarock hard in the chest. She tumbled from the air and blasted dirt for eight feet in every direction as her impact displaced the ground.

Legs shaking, Tarock got up to see the Roc flying low and strafing the refugees. Energy balls and light rays blasted from both mouths, sending the people flying while screams of panic filled the valley. One unlucky victim landed a few feet away from Tarock, and she froze as she recognized the emaciated features of Cherma. He twitched and contorted, then his skin suddenly turned chalk white and his face became a blank mask.

He was one of those things from school…

There was no time to dwell on it. Tarock set down the Gran Crusher, then wrenched a hunk of rock out of the ground and threw it at the Mythos, who banked easily around it and spat another light ray at her. She yelled as she could feel the heat singe the back of her suit and dove out of the way of the worst of the blast.

Toles ran up with an empty crossbow in one hand and knelt by the faceless body. "Cherma, what's that thing done to him?!"

"Cherma's probably dead," Tarock said, softer than she'd meant to.

"What do you mean?" Toles demanded.

"That thing…it's a Mythos too. It's a lot weaker than the other ones but a few of them were working with this other monster. It killed someone and copied him to try to take me by surprise."

"Why would it kill-" Toles began to say but was interrupted by a piercing shriek from Roc. Energy blazing from both mouths it came straight at them. Tarock shoved Toles out of the way and braced herself for the pummeling about to come. Suddenly a huge shadowy shape lunged in front of her and the Roc's bombardment didn't touch her as the monster flew by.

"Shift Runner?" A hollow whinny was her answer. "I got a plan…it's not a great plan, but we're running out people to save. If we could just-" She didn't even get to finish before Shift Runner galloped up the incline of the valley. It looked like it was running off, then the horse stopped and crouched behind a pile of rocks.

Again the wind picked up as the Roc flew down the valley. Tarock braced herself, lacking the attacks or the speed to

Just before it opened fire Shift Runner stood up and launched itself at the Mythos, knocking it out of the air and tackling it into the opposite wall of the valley. Shift Runner battered the Mythos with its hooves. The Mythos opened its left beak and with an angered screech started bombarding Shift Runner with its light globes.

She only had a second, and jumped as high as she could, somersaulted once at the peak of her jump because she could, and gathered all of her strength. The ground came roaring up at her. "Earth Needle!" the Fate Driver said. Long rocky spikes erupted from the wall behind the Mythos, piercing it repeatedly. It twitched and cawed fiercely, then fell limp.

Tarock watched anxiously, waiting for it to be reborn as a gigantic ungodly thunderbird or some such thing, but the Roc's remains turned into a blue-green mist that dispersed a second later. She sighed in relief and slumped back against Shift Runner, who turned to look at her for a minute and then flicked its bristly tail.

"Cherma…" Toles moaned, looking down at the inhuman creature he'd thought was his friend.

* * *

><p>Thirteen were dead by the time everyone was accounted for, and not counting Cherma. With her power over earth Tarock cleared dirt for graves, and a simple funeral ceremony began.<p>

After they'd been laid to rest Liss was catching her breath against Shift Runner before they moved, and shivering when the girl who'd talked to her before the attack came over with what looked like a blanket slung over one shoulder.

"I thought we were gonna keep going to the city after the funeral," Liss said.

The girl smile and unrolled the blanket, and Liss could see it was actually about a long duster. In the pocket were a pair of matching gloves. "Papa saw your coat was torn, so he asked me to give you this."

"Um, thanks kid," Liss said and tried it on. It actually fit well and hung to just behind her knees. Nice and thick, made of something that felt a lot like leather but she didn't say anything about something from a world she was only beginning to understand.

"Thank you, Tarock." And she ran to rejoin her family to get ready for the last leg of the trip.

With the adrenaline wearing off Liss looked over at the man saying last rites for the Roc's victims. Would they be burying more or less if she'd decided to take them through the forest after all? Would whatever had been waiting there been something she was better suited to handle with this set of powers? Did she choose to go the other way because she was looking out for them, or because she'd been afraid of facing whatever she'd sensed…?

And then she glanced over at the forgotten corpse of the imposter Cherma. This was the second time she'd run into them and hadn't gotten even a touch of cold from being near them. They could be anywhere, and she was in a strange and unfamiliar place already. Who needed all the power bigger Mythos had when one of them could even sneak up on her and slit her throat?

But then Liss clenched her fists. She hadn't pussed out of anything in years. She'd have to be smart, she'd have to keep her cool, but she'd find a way through this.

No matter what.

* * *

><p>Far, far on the other edge of the Sphere, Tarock's recent efforts had not gone unnoticed.<p>

"It seems the assassin would forge an alliance with the enemy…"

"Solymen is weak, but any alliance makes her more of a threat."

"Something must be done, my love. And soon, before she can become any more dangerous."

"Of course, but what? Risking your life isn't worth any reward, my dearest."

"I've been thinking on that, and if Shardak can empower an envoy? Can't we?"

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

(Liss meets with a heavyset nobleman)

Lyrin Doxo: This card is the greatest treasure of my people.

(A tree-like monster devastates buildings with whipping roots and branches)

Liss: I need it to stop what's happening to this world.

(Two armored figures, black and white, stand side by side)

Male and Female Voices in Unison: The Sphere doesn't need a savior like you.

(Tarock stands in a lightly-armored yellow form)

Liss: Then come get me.

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	7. Chapter 7: No Safe Path

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Seven: No Safe Path

Not that it needs to be said, but I don't own the Kamen Rider trademark. Just the characters and settings depicted in this work.

Disillusioned youth Liss Decker found herself suddenly caught between two supernatural combatants and took the powers of one for herself in the aftermath. Soon she learned of the Sphere, a tiered world that was home to the Arcana, powerful immortal beings, and whose inhabitants were beset by the Mythos, strange and hostile monstrous creatures. Seeing an escape from an oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed to become Tarock, a champion for the people of the Sphere. However, Liss then met a strange girl calling herself Lost who spawned a Mythos monster and claimed to hear someone calling to her.

Liss followed, but Lost's trail eluded her. She then guided a group of refugees to the capital city of the empire of Avalon, being told that her next card, and the next step in her evolution it represents, lies there…

* * *

><p>"Let go of me!" Nema screamed and pulled free of her husband's grasp. She tried to sprint away but slipped on the wet street and landed in a heap. She scrambled to get up and escape, but already he was upon her again.<p>

"Just listen to me for a second, Nema!" her husband cried, but this time with anxiety rather than rage. He grabbed her wrists even as she struggled. "I'm sorry! I've talked to my brother, and I believe you weren't having an affair with him."

"It's too later, Lurian," Nema said darkly. "I'm not letting you accuse me of things I haven't done ever again." She yanked her arms free and started to stalk off when all of a sudden light flared in front of her. Two shapes formed out of it, a pair of faces. Lurian ran to his wife's side and rested his hands protectively on her shoulders. This time, she didn't pull away.

"Sundered lovers, is there anything more tragic?" one asked.

"But perhaps reparations can be made and the Sphere even saved if you are willing…" said the other.

* * *

><p>Liss gave her worn out old jacket to one of the refugees who wanted to cut it up for patch material or something. Fine with her, it was another reminder of a past she didn't mind discarding. Although after getting this next card, she'd probably want to think about going back and getting some clean clothes. She'd left awfully suddenly.<p>

The new long coat and gloves she'd been given as a reward for guiding these people to the capital city was nice and warm, though, and Liss was enjoying thinking she looked pretty badass in them.

After a few more minutes of preparation she mounted Shift Runner, her metallic horse, who'd originally been a motorcycle, and started for the lights of the city in the distance. Slowly high stone walls came into view, and in the light of beacons atop the walls the outlines of tall watchtowers. As they neared an archway with a heavy portcullis, a group of people in thick plate armor and carrying three-pointed spears with glowing barbs approached them out of the darkness.

"An armed escort?" someone behind asked in surprise.

"Yes," one of the soldiers answered. "For _her_. Come with us, Tarock. The emperor demands an audience."

"And what makes you think I'm Tarock?"

"We have our ways," the guard replied, and Liss honestly didn't know if she'd expected more. "Come with us," he instructed. The portcullis raised and Liss and her charges passed through, but as soon as they were inside the walls the portcullis dropped with a crash again, and a completely unfazed guard waved the refugees who'd been following Liss off with his weapon. On the inside of the gate Liss noticed a humming arrangement of multi-colored crystals embedded in the ceiling.

"What's that?" she asked.

"To reveal the Mythos who can disguise themselves," one of the guards grunted, and waved her on.

They proceeded into a huge open yard, and filled with scattered collections of tents with weary-looking people occupying themselves with preparing the evening meal for their family, turning meat on a spit or stewing stew in a thick iron pot. Some watched their children play in the fading light. Past them she could barely see rough rows of huts in the fading light. Liss suddenly pulled Shift Runner to a halt when she saw one of the guards pointing his trident at her face.

"Surrender your weapons," he guard ordered. Liss took out the Fate Driver, then suddenly locked it around her waist and grabbed the card from the pouch on her belt.

"Pentacles Suit!"

The guards pressed in but Liss's armor had already solidified and her warhammer was in hand. "I've got a better idea," she said warningly. "You guys put those away before somebody gets hurt."

"Who do you think-"

"_I_ think she's a guest," said a calm but powerful voice. Tarock looked down to see a man with a thin white beard in a rich purple robe, who she could see right through. Liss grimaced and almost fell off her horse from the feeling of cold that shot up her arm and swallowed her entire body. It wasn't as sharp as what she'd felt from Lost, but there was no doubt in her mind she was in the presence of a very powerful Arcanum.

"And I'm sure you can agree there's a certain wisdom to hanging on to what protection one can find in times as troubled as these," he added.

The guards immediately fell to their knees. "Sire, we were only thinking of your safety!" one cried.

"And you are to be commended for it, but I am not helpless, as you know," he said and turned to Tarock. "Pardon my followers, but times are trying. But I am being a poor host. Come." He clapped his hands and Tarock had to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. She was still on Shift Runner's back, but they were in a wide room with a red carpet leading up to an ornate wooden throne with large and colorful gems worked into it, and her host was no longer transparent. He walked to the throne, and with a sigh picked up a golden crown with intricate leaf-like patterns and placed it on his head.

"Now then, what brings you to the home of Solymen, mighty Tarock?" he asked. Despite the power she'd felt just from his projection, between the softness of his voice and the dark circles under his eyes he seemed tired.

Tarock got down from Shift Runner, and let her weapon fade away but didn't let herself relax. "The first time I met one of you, they tried to kill me. Hope you'll understand if I'm a little careful."

"And I hope you'll understand that we have our reasons for being wary of Shardak's envoy. He was always secretive even at the best of times, and your original predecessor was responsible for the death of one of my kind," Emperor Solymen replied. "But you haven't answered my question."

Tarock sighed quietly in irritation. She wasn't used to playing along with people in authority. But since he already knew she was there he'd probably be keeping an eye on her. "I'm here because I'm told another of the cards I need is somewhere in this city. The cup card. Someone named Doxo has it."

"Doxo?" Solymen said, a distant look settling in his eyes for a second. "Does he really? And what use would you have for it, were he to hand it over to you?"

"You guys need all the help you can get killing those monsters. I'm the only one who can use that card, so it's going completely to waste as long as somebody else has it."

Solymen smiled wryly at her response. "I suppose it is, at that. Perhaps we can see about negotiating with Doxo in the morning. In the meantime, though, maybe there's something you can do to help the empire."

"What?" Tarock asked exasperatedly, tired from being in the saddle all day and then barely defeating a monster, and more than half expecting to be asked to run off on some stupid quest before anyone would even consider a request from her. Was Shardak's reputation really that bad?

"A strange woman appeared from nowhere at one of my outposts yesterday," Solymen said. "Says her name's something like Soo-zonn. She claims to be looking for another female outsider, something she calls a 'super hero.' When she mentioned it being someone with armor of different colors and abilities to go with them, I thought she probably meant Tarock."

Tarock sighed. "Yeah, I think I know her. I'll take her back as soon as I have the card."

"We'll discuss that with Doxo first thing in the morning," Solymen said with finality. Tarock felt a tremor in the air and a few seconds later the doors to the throne room opened and a young man wearing yellow and green entered. "Bring her to our other guest, and bring them anything they need."

Tarock looked back at Shift Runner. "What about him? I'm not just gonna-" she began, but before she could finish Shift Runner's body flared with light and when it cleared a silver medallion with the image of a horse on it hung in the air for the second it took her grab it. "Uh…never mind."

Once they were gone Solymen waved his hands again and the doors closed by themselves. He removed his crown and set it by the throne again, sighing a little in relief. There was another strange tremor in the air just before he could hear a voice in his mind.

"_Master, is it wise to be so welcoming?_"

"I am not your master, Sentos. And to be cordial to a potential ally?" Solymen replied calmly.

"_To be cordial to Shardak's agent_," the other voice corrected.

Solymen laughed softly. "Would she have come here so brazenly if she meant to kill us? At the head of a column of people hailing her as their savior? Which you surely know of better than I."

"_I am merely being cautious_."

"I know, old friend," Solymen said. "But perhaps it's time we held out a hand instead of a fist."

* * *

><p>The servant opened the door and ushered Liss into a small two-person bedroom. Sitting on one of them, looking around nervously, was Sue Gand. "Back again, huh?" she groaned, but as Liss met her eyes she smiled with relief. "Thank god, finally it's the right one!"<p>

Liss looked over at her escort. " 'The right one'?"

He shrugged. "She said was looking for a girl called Liss. We brought every one we could find, but then she said she meant one from the same world as herself."

"So what've you been doing?" Sue asked excitedly. "You kill anymore monsters since the big scorpion back on Earth? Got any other powers besides the green and the red ones? When did you get those, anyway?"

"I got a question for you! Why'd you follow me to God knows where?! Had to get your big story, huh?" Liss sighed and the servant hurried out of the room with his duty done. "I'm not answering any frigging questions tonight. It's late, and I'm exhausted," Liss said and climbed into the other bed after hanging up her new coat.

"How can you sleep at a time like this? We're in a whole different world!" Sue gushed. "There's all kinds of things out there nobody from Earth's ever seen!"

"BS," Liss groaned. "Tarot cards are based on the guys who run this place. People came here. Now be quiet."

"Investigate tarot," Sue said as she wrote herself a reminder on her phone. "How many of these guys have you met? Did they say which of the cards they're supposed to be?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Liss snapped.

"Yeah, and didn't you hear me? This is a world nobody's ever seen…that anyone else knows about anymore," Sue corrected herself. "And you're the person they picked to be their hero! You're not excited about that?"

"I was watching out for a giant bird to attack all day long, and then got smashed around by it two freaking hours ago," Liss said. "And I've got a big day tomorrow, so I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight."

"Big day, huh?" Sue said. "Sounds like it'll make a hell of a story."

Liss grunted in annoyance.

* * *

><p>Breakfast the next morning consisted of eggs, some kind of vegetable omelet and hot tea. The emperor had them join him in a dining room big enough to seat at least another twelve people beyond the three of them, but all he asked the two strangers in his empire were small things like how they'd slept and if the food was to their taste. Sue peppered Liss with questions about her exploits since being separated after Sue tried to follow her when she rode through the rift that led to the Sphere. Liss didn't answer most of them, her mind clearly elsewhere with the way she constantly glanced around the room, at the windows and at Solymen as she chewed her food. Eventually Sue gave up in frustration, and silence prevailed until their plates were cleared.<p>

A sharp, slightly lingering chill condensed around Liss's shoulder as the doors opened up and a man in a red hooded robe, carrying a white staff entered. There was no doubt in her mind he was another powerful Arcanum, although probably not as much as the emperor. "You have a task for me, sire?" he asked.

"Indeed, Phebos," Solymen said. "It's been brought to my attention that one of the cards that empowers Tarock has been right here in Avalon for quite some time. I'd like to request that you accompany our guests to the Doxo estate and see if you can help them persuade him to part with it."

Phebos looked over at Liss and Sue, back at the emperor for a few seconds and then nodded once. "All right, if you would please follow me," Phebos said, leading the way out of the room. As they followed him out of the palace, Liss thought he seemed to drift along the ground instead of walk. His robes didn't even sway as he moved.

Outside the palace was a village of stone houses where people were beginning their days, and guards in heavy armor with nasty-looking tridents patrolled the streets in pairs. Over the tops of the houses they could see slate-roofed manors and a high white watchtower near the outer wall. And as they went Sue was snapping pictures of everything with her phone. She'd probably been saving the battery for when they let her out.

"Care for the sights, miss?" Phebos asked, and it took Liss a second to realize he was asking her and not Sue. "You should see Avalon when we're not expecting the sky to drop at any minute."

"That's kinda why I'm here, isn't it?" she said. "So it doesn't."

"Is it?" he asked cryptically.

"Yeah, it is."

Phebos nodded at that but said nothing else as he weaved through the early morning crush, drawing stares from the people they passed. After another ten minutes they were outside one of the manor houses, and Phebos rapped on the door a few times with his staff. A young serving girl opened the door and gasped as she recognized the man at the door. "Tell your master I come on behalf of the emperor. It regards the Card of Cups."

They were ushered into a large waiting room with a freshly polished wooden table taking up the middle. Expensive-looking vases on stands in the corners. Except for one, which housed an intricately-carved statue of a woman wearing a crown and a flowing dress. She was beautiful, but her mouth was downturned slightly in an expression of what seemed to Liss like repressed anger. Sue snapped pictures of all of it, and studied the statue for a long while. "Who's this?" she finally asked.

"Someone who doesn't approve of the way we do things here in Avalon," Phebos said simply. "And who, I imagine, would think even less so if she were to hear about this visit."

"Someone from Mazones?" Liss asked.

"How did you guess?"

"Someone from Mazones tried to kill me a little while ago," Liss said.

"Thena?"

Liss raised an eyebrow. "You met her, huh?"

Phebos's shoulders slumped slightly and he frowned. "You should understand she was not always as she is now. It shook all of us when the first Tarock killed one of our number, but the ruler of Mazones was hit especially hard. Thena always admired her."

"Here they are, master," the servant said as she appeared in the doorway. Behind her walked a stout bald man in black pants, sandals and a red satin jacket.

"Hello, my illustrious guests. Lyrin Doxo, at your service, and I understand you're interested in my collection," he said in a deep bass voice. He looked them over and seemed to zero in on Liss, and she could read the veiled suspicion in his eyes.

"What exactly do you collect?" Sue asked, smiling pleasantly and plainly in her element again.

"Treasures from our peoples' past. Why don't you come with me and see?" Doxo asked, shooting a sideways glance at Phebos before flicking his gaze at Liss. It was a silent question she'd seen before, one to keep an eye on her. Apparently word of her stunt with the guards the night before had already gotten around. Phebos nodded, and Doxo led the way down a long hall to a wide room. He pressed a small panel in one wall indistinguishable from the rest and a secret door opened.

Inside it was like a museum. There were pedestals holding up swords as well spears like the ones the guards used but less intricate. Mannequins displayed parts of old suits of armor while one was covered by an intricately-woven robe of green and yellow silk. Paintings of battles of men against monsters hung on the walls, and Liss didn't have to guess they were probably inspired by actual events. Sue continued to snap pictures, and Doxo grimaced as he failed to understand what she was doing.

In the center of the room in a transparent cylinder was a yellow card with a golden border and image of a chalice in the middle. Liss walked over to it, and Phebos stood by her shoulder.

"There it is, all that remains of my people's greatest treasure," Doxo said.

"Shouldn't you have told your ruler you have that?" Sue asked, a little bluntly. Doxo blanched, but Phebos stepped in quickly.

"The emperor agrees matters would be better served if the card be given to the new Tarock and its powers put to use fighting the Mythos," Phebos said.

"Is that an imperial decree?" Doxo said and made no attempt to hide his scowl.

"It is a request. Backed by fact," Phebos said.

"Then answer me something, Tarock," he said and pointed at Liss accusingly with a thick finger. "Did Shardak entrust that device of his to you?"

"Not exactly, but I'm here to get the card because he told me this is where it is and wants me to help fight the Mythos with it."

"It's one of the most precious artifacts of my people's history," Doxo said, unmoved.

"Which I'd love to hear more about sometime, but-" Sue began.

"—but don't you have a future to think about too?" Liss said. "Aren't the Mythos everywhere? Don't you guys need everything you've got out there fighting?"

Doxo scowled even harder. "Shardak's agent killed one of the Arcana, one of our protectors."

"And why was that?" Phebos said gently.

"To protect his own interests!" Doxo shouted, unable to contain himself.

"And what interests are those?" Phebos asked, still unfazed. Doxo started to make an angry retort but all of a sudden Liss couldn't seem to hear. She felt cold up her arm and across her shoulders, and clenched her teeth. It was nowhere near as intense as before when she'd run into Lost, but something powerful was near and she doubted it was friendly…

Doxo had just finished a rant and looked at Phebos, awaiting a reply, but none came. Instead, Phebos said, "Something's approaching from the forest, and quickly." The house suddenly shook and stone dust fell from the ceiling.

"What's happening?" Doxo asked, his anger abruptly forgotten.

"Something's at the walls," Phebos replied with terrifying calmness. Then the house trembled again, and the far wall of the room collapsed as a huge mottled brown tendril smashed its way through, knocking paintings flying and toppling pedestals.

"Pentacles Suit!" As soon as the thick green armor had formed around her Tarock was slamming her warhammer into the tendril or whatever it was until it recoiled out of the house. She charged out after it, and froze even though she wasn't surprised at all by what she saw. The thing she'd hit ran all the way from the back of Doxo's house to the city wall, two more houses were already half-demolished by it. From there it draped over the twenty-foot-high wall, over which its owner loomed at least twice as high: a monster with tree bark for skin but the shape of a woman with long arms, flowing hair of leaves and dark black orbs for eyes. Curved, horn-like branches emerged from her forehead and framed the growth falling from the back of her head. She had no legs, only a mass of roots writhing out from the bottom of her body.

The monster looked straight at Tarock and smiled for a second before the giant root whipped at her again. Tarock swung the Gran Crusher at it with all of her form's strength, but it she started to skid back before there was a flash of power and the root was sent flying back. Tarock smiled a little as she panted behind her mask from the exertion, then suddenly saw another root falling toward her. She somersaulted backward and the root missed by a foot. As soon as she was on her feet again, Tarock ran toward the giant tree-monster.

Sue stood in the new hole in the wall and gaped at what she was seeing, and taking a picture of the spectacle out of reflex. "That kid's got some stones, but she's gonna get herself killed!"

"A Dryad...If she tries to fight it alone, with the weapons she has, yes," Phebos affirmed.

"Aren't you gonna help?!"

"Battle is not my path," Phebos said, then raised his staff over his head. "But we are not without options. Sentos, awaken! Defend our people!"

"_I hear,_" a booming voice Sue could only hear in her head said, and again the ground shook horribly, but out of the corner of one eye Sue noticed movement and turned to see the white watchtower sharking. Arms sprouted from its sides and its base split into two thick legs. A flat face formed out of the front, with crenulated ridges along the forehead and shoulders. But a score of dents and craters marked the tower-creature's chest and sides as if from old battles.

Sentos strode toward where the Dryad stood, carefully stepping over houses and streets still clogged with panicked people. Tarock leaped to the outer wall and looked over her shoulder at the city's defender, and past him saw five other houses that had been smashed by the monster's roots. Over them she could see a cluster of collapsed tents too, and make out the dirt-smudged face of Toles, the leader of the refugees she'd led to this city so they'd be safe from the Mythos. He was tending to someone lying on the ground, and someone brought over something in a bowl. It was the girl who'd given Tarock that new coat, the girl whose name she didn't even know. Tarock's fingers tightened around the haft of her hammer, then she turned and back-flipped over the wall and charged her gigantic enemy.

The stone giant stopped near the edge of the wall, just before a ray of red light ripped from the direction of the palace and rammed into the Dryad's chest. It forced her back foot by foot until her roots couldn't touch the city anymore. Then Sentos took a flying leap and tackled the Dryad with a crash that knocked Sue off her feet too. As soon as the giants were out of range a dome of red light formed over Avalon.

"And now," said Phebos, was still on his feet, "it's up to the two of them."

Tarock jumped and landed on Dryad's wrist then smashed the Gran Crusher down. Drayd seemed not to even notice, and send Tarock falling with a flick of her wrist. Sentos swung a fist that jerked her head to one side, but the leafy vines that made up her hair stretched out and wrapped around the giant, then flung him away. Tarock launched a boulder at one of Dryad's glassy black eyes, hoping to blind the giant monster, but it shattered without even getting the Dryad to blink. A giant root fell toward Tarock, and she brought back her hammer.

"Dire Fate! Grand Impact!" the Fate Driver said as Tarock channeled all of her strength into her swing. The head bit into the wood and for a second nothing seemed to happen, then the root cracked and snapped off from the rest of the Dryad.

Dryad looked down at her, then leaves as long as cars were whipping from her hair and through the air at Tarock. She turned and took a running jump as far as she could, but a leaf sliced against her back and she landed in a heap. Sentos grabbed Dryad by the shoulders and tried to stomp on the writhing mass of roots at the bottom of her trunk, even as they whipped back and forth digging gouges in his legs. He punched Dryad hard in the face and she tumbled backward.

"Calamity! Earth Needle!" Tarock smashed the ground with her hammer. Rocky spikes twelve feet long, the longest she'd ever managed, erupted from the ground and jabbed into Dryad's sides. But the monster just pushed herself upright and snapped through the spikes like dry twigs. Desperation gripped Tarock, and she launched herself at the Dryad's trunk again. "GRAND IMPACT!" the Fate Driver seemed to scream. A blazing pentacle appeared on the Dryad and the Gran Crusher smashed down on its center. Giant hunks of bark went flying.

And Dryad swatted her out of the air like a bug. Sentos charged up and landed a punch where Tarock's attack had hit but Dryad just spread her massive arms and shining red spores flew from her fingertips that exploded as they hit Sentos in the chest and knocked him onto his back.

And at the edge of Avalon's defensive wall Sue and Phebos watched through the giant cracks. "It's impossible! That thing's too much for them!" Sue said in fear.

"Tarock is more powerful than you realize," Phebos corrected her, his voice still unnervingly calm even as Avalon's only defenders were blasted about by their seemingly unstoppable enemy. "But the form of Pentacles draws its powers from earth, as does a Dryad. She fights an uphill battle." He looked over but Sue was gone, and Phebos smiled slightly. "Catches on quick, that one."

Lungs aching from her sprint, Sue stumbled into Doxo's no longer secret museum. He was kneeling over a painting that had been torn by flying debris. "This can't be happening," he mumbled. "The Mythos were destroyed! How can they be back?! This shouldn't be possible…"

Sue ignored him and picked up one of the spears and swung it at the cylinder housing the Card of Cups. A shard grazed Doxo's cheek and he looked up in surprise while Sue took the card. "She was right, you know. You've got a future to think about too." Then Sue was running off and running again. In the back of her mind she was aware her lungs were burning but there was too much at stake to worry about an asthma attack. By the time she'd gotten to where Phebos was still waiting, Dryad was battering the dome with her roots while beyond her Tarock tried to drag herself to where her hammer lay. Sentos raised a huge rock over his head and smashed it down on Dryad's shoulders and his persistence finally seemed to annoy her enough to draw her full attention. She turned and let a barrage of leaves fly from her hair that sliced into the stone giant.

"Liss!" Sue screamed, holding her prize high over her head. "I've got the card!" All of a sudden the dome faded away, and Sue threw the card. Tarock caught it, glanced at the back, slid it into her Fate Driver.

"Cups Suit!" it roared. A yellow image of the card floated down over her, replacing her green armor with a yellow breastplate, gauntlets and boots, and a new mask with a wing-like design outlining her eyes. Like before this new form felt different than the others. Not as strong, but lighter, faster.

Above her Dryad had seized Sentos in a one-handed stranglehold and was bringing back the other arm, wooden fingers aimed at the stone giant's head like spears. Tarock passed her left hand in front of her Fate Driver. "Arms of Fate! Sea Hand!" Her new weapon, a glove with spray jets in the fingertips, formed over her hand. She aimed at Dryad's arm as the monster thrust it at Sentos's face. "Calamity! Jaws of Frost!" A blast of white shot up and spread over Dryad's arm coating it in a sheet of ice. Sentos punched at it and the arm snapped off. The tree-monster opened her mouth and a scream of pain tore the air. She swept her arm and sprayed a cloud of her explosive spores but Tarock counterattacked.

"Woe! Hydro Jet!" A jet of water sprayed from Tarock's fingers and she waved it back and forth, knocking the spores away before they could get near her. She jumped and fired off another from closer range, a chill on her arm guiding her aim. Pieces of bark were blasted off by Tarock's attack exposing vulnerable white wood underneath that caved in under the force. Dryad screamed as Tarock came back to earth and the mass of roots surged out to crush her, but Tarock grabbed the bladed bracelet from her belt, the Rend Brace and it locked itself around her right wrist. The sky seemed to go dark from the writhing roots fell toward her. Tarock jumped back with an agility she'd never had before, then as the roots surged at her along the ground she jumped, flipped in the air and held out her hands to grab onto the Mythos's trunk.

Quickly she looked up at Sentos, who nodded once and grabbed Dryad around the waist and held on even when the Mythos monster stabbed her sharp fingers into his back. Tarock jumped for where she'd battered Dryad's body with her water blast and aimed the point of her bracelet at it now. "Calamity! Tethys Cutter!" the buckle said and a long blade of watery energy formed from the tip, which she swung and cut into the Mythos's body. A huge hunk of wood fell off and she could just see the curve of a throbbing blue sphere. Tarock landed on the Mythos's trunk and then jumped stabbed her arm with the Rend Brace up to the elbow into the monster's heart.

A scream even louder and more horrible than Dryad's last seemed to push Tarock even farther away as she jumped to safety. She thrashed back and forth as she started to dissolve into bluish mist like the other Mythos Tarock had killed. Her vine hair, her head, her shoulders, her trunk and the web of roots at the bottom finally melted away. The Fate Driver ejected the card and Tarock flickered away, leaving an exhausted Liss Decker in her place.

* * *

><p>Sentos dominated Avalon's skyline against the setting sun, having returned to the form of the city's primary watchtower again. Gashes and dents were visible up and down its height that hadn't been there that morning.<p>

"Will he be all right?" Sue asked. "I mean…I don't know how it works for you guys, but…"

"Sentos will heal," Phebos answered. "If he gets the chance. The Mythos are attacking more and more, and that was the worst yet."

The two of them glanced over at Liss, who was watching as the girl who'd given her her coat finished bandaging a woman's shoulder. "Hey," Liss said, "I didn't really thank you for the presents before, so…thanks."

"Can't save the Sphere if you catch a cold, can you?" the girl grinned.

"Hey, kid. What's your name?"

"Nabelle. Your name isn't really Tarock, is it?"

"No, it's Liss."

Nabelle gasped. "That's my mother's name!"

"Oh yeah?" Liss asked. "She the one who yelled at you to stay out of my way yesterday?"

Nabelle giggled. "That was her!"

"Yeah well, I should go now," Liss said, not sure what else _to_ say. She was exhausted and unsure after her last battle.

"Come back and tell us about the monsters you killed sometime!"

Liss walked over to where Phebos and Sue were watching her. "Hope your boss doesn't mind but I don't think I'm gonna stick around for the victory celebration. I got stuff some stuff to take care of back home," she said. "But one other thing. There was this girl I saw on my way here. She called herself Lost, and she created a monster right in front of me. Said someone's calling her. You might keep an eye out."

Phebos nodded. "That changes a great deal. Thank you, Tarock."

Liss nodded and called to Sue, "Hey, if you're coming, now's the time."

"Totally. I gotta report in," Sue replied and flicked through a couple of her pictures to make sure they were good enough for submission. Liss took the medallion out of her coat pocket and threw it, and it changed back into a metal horse.

Phebos seemed to smile in the darkness of his hood as he said, "Thank you, Tarock. I hope we'll hear many tales of your great battles." Liss just looked at him silently for a minute before she dug her heels into her horse's sides and he galloped away before vanishing in a flash of light.

* * *

><p>Once they were back on Earth, Shift Runner had changed back into a motorcycle. Liss shook her head and managed to tune out Sue's excited gushing about the day's events until they got to her motel.<p>

"I'm gonna send this stuff to my boss, and we can head back tomorrow morning, okay?" Sue asked, not looking up from her photo gallery. Liss nodded and rode off. A few minutes later she pulled up outside Paige's apartment and knocked on the door.

After a minute she could hear Paige's muffled voice. "Who's there? Is it one of those monsters?"

"Kind of," Liss could hear Kelly, her sister's partner, say. "It's Liss. Should I let her in?"

"I heard that!"

The door flew open and Paige pulled Liss in quickly before closing and locking the door behind her. "What's the big deal?" Liss asked at being dragged in. "Did another monster show up when I was gone?"

"No, but plenty showed up when you were still here," Paige answered. "What happened? Everything okay, kid?" She was the only person Liss had ever met who could use that word to describe her and not make it condescending.

"I still can't believe you're encouraging this," Kelly sighed and walked out of the living room. Paige pulled out two chairs from the table and indicated for Liss to sit down. She did, and sighed.

"I don't know if things are okay," Liss groaned.

"Why not?" Paige asked patiently.

"I don't know…I mean, I go there, and everybody's supposed to hate my guts for the old Tarock killing one of the Arcana. One of them tried to kill me for it at school, remember?" Liss asked, and her sister nodded. She went on. "But then I run into some people and they think I'm a big hero. Most of them weren't even mad I couldn't save everyone from a monster. And monsters…there are ones that can turn themselves into people, and I can tell when the others are there but not them. And…and…" She stopped and clutched her head. "And it just feels so weird. Being a hero's supposed to feel awesome, isn't it? With people telling you you're the best, and beating on monsters and psychos, right?"

Is that why you said yes to these people when they asked you to save the world?" Paige asked. "Not just this one, but the one they're from too."

"I thought it would just be cutting loose even more than I was before. They were actually asking me to go out and kill monsters," Liss sighed. "Now, I just…"

"You just can't help thinking about what it's really like, running into people who understand sometimes you can't save everyone. Maybe how these things you're trying to kill are gonna try to kill you back and if you're not careful they probably can," Paige said slowly. Not judging, not insulting her choice, just laying it out bare for her.

A long, silent minute passed. "Yeah," Liss said.

"So are you gonna go back?"

Liss nodded. "Shardak thinks it's really bad, and-" she said, but Paige waved a hand for her to stop.

"Forget what he thinks for a minute. Why do you think _you_ should be risking your life killing monsters?"

There was another thick pause before Liss answered that. It had indeed been a long time since she'd listened to anything any kind of authority had told her, but it had been just as long since she'd had a reason for doing something that wasn't spiteful or defiant. "Because this is too big to walk away from," Liss said. "That's why I have to go back."

Paige nodded then smiled and tousled her sister's hair. "Maybe this'll be good for you after all. When you going back?"

"In the morning," Liss replied "I was gonna go over to mom and dad's and get some clean clothes and stuff first. I was in a hurry last time 'cause I thought I could catch somebody and…this is all I've had for the last couple days."

"Nice coat. You think mom and dad are gonna let you in, though, after all this crap?"

"I'm kinda hoping they got my message to skip town what with the monsters and everything," Liss said.

"Oh, you told them to skip town but not _me_, huh? Thanks a lot!" Paige said in mock offense.

"You already knew! Besides," Liss bit her lip. "I really need you to _not_ skip town, you know? Even though…you know."

Paige nodded. "I know."

"I'll be back soon. And Paige…thanks," Liss got up and left.

* * *

><p>No one answered Liss's knock but her key turned in the lock. The dingy little apartment was much as she remembered it, but all the appliances were gone, and her parents' closet and dresser were empty. Looked like they'd listened to her after all, even though for all she knew they thought she was behind the attack on the school. It didn't matter, they were out of harm's way and she could focus on going back to the Sphere and getting the last card.<p>

Her room was untouched, and she got down her backpack and got a few clean outfits together before pulling up the secret compartment she'd made in the floor of her closet and opened the lockbox inside. There wasn't much inside besides a quarter she thought was lucky when she was seven and a picture of her and Paige smiling and making peace signs at the camera from the family trip to Florida that same year. The only time the Deckers had gone anywhere. Liss looked at it for a while before slipping it into a protective inner pocket.

She'd locked the door behind her more out of habit than anything and was walking back to the street when she froze in her tracks. Standing between her and her bike were a man and woman wearing dark shirts, pants and coats. The woman had white hair that fell past her shoulders and dark eyes that glinted with malice. The man's hair was dark and short and he held up a clenched fist as he glared across the parking lot at her.

"Tarock," they said in unison. "For the good of the people of Sphere, you must die." Then they held up their arms and Liss could see they wore metal wristbands with colored discs in them, black for the woman and white for the man.

"Join!" they yelled in unison and pressed the bands together. There was a short but sharp eruption of cold up Liss's arm as they changed. Glistening armor formed around their bodies out of thin air. The man's was shiny and white with black lines running up the arms and legs and across the chestplate with a darkened visor and a large black I-symbol on his right shoulder. There was a single golden spike sticking straight up from his forehead and a small green gem lodged at the base, identical in color to the large round one in the black belt around his waist. "Donis," he said menacingly.

The woman's was black with white stripes across the legs and chestplate, the visor almost invisible against the rest of her mask. A V-symbol was etched in white on her shoulder armor. Five slanted spikes of silver decorated the brow of her mask with a small blue gem at the base of the central one. Another blue gem, diamond-shaped, was set in the front of a white belt she wore. "Ven," she whispered. "Remember those names."

"Tell Shardak who the Sphere's real saviors are," Donis added.

Just perfect. Right when she was still drained from the fight with the Dryad Mythos. But hell if she'd let them know that. "You want me, come and get me!" Liss said and loaded the Fate Driver.

"Cups Suit!" Her yellow armor solidified over her black undersuit and immediately she donned the Sea Hand and Rend Brace. It seemed more and more like she didn't need to go looking for trouble, it would always find her…

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Ven: Even you can't withstand the kind of power that binds souls…

(Donis and Ven catch Tarock in the middle of a dual attack that causes an explosion)

Liss: I've withstood a hell of a lot so far.

(Jack walks through a cavern of brightly-colored stones)

Jack: Some of your predecessors received their powers from these.

(Tarock rides across a field of ancient ruins following something that starts as sphere, shifts to a cube and then a pyramid)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

* * *

><p>I realize this one was a little long and I apologize, but it had some stuff I didn't think could wait to be covered. Also, we see what Liss would've had to fight if she'd taken the people into the forest. Maybe a good thing she just had to fight the Roc then, huh?<p>

Also, seems Liss has even more enemies than she thought, but it looks like a few unexpected friends, too. We'll see what happens as the fight with the Mythos picks up, and pick up it will…


	8. Chapter 8: Riders' Legacy

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Eight: Riders' Legacy

Disillusioned youth Liss Decker found herself in possession of an artifact allowing her to transform into Tarock, a being of awesome powers, after the sudden appearance of supernatural beings in her city. Seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, she accepted its creator's request to use those powers to fight to become the hero of the Sphere, the strange tiered world he calls home, and save it from the evil creatures menacing its people.

Expecting mainly enemies, Liss's years of self-righteousness were shaken when she was welcomed as a savior by a group of refugees and a potential ally by one of the Sphere's primary rulers. After helping to save his city from a gigantic monster, Liss acquired the third of four cards necessary to access Tarock's full abilities. After a return to her hometown to prepare for a longer stay on the Sphere, Liss found herself being attacked by a pair of warriors intent on keeping her from harming the people of that other world…

* * *

><p>Tarock had barely finished arming herself before Ven and Donis were charging her. They landed a dual punch her chest that knocked her five feet before she landed hard on her back. The next thing she saw was each of them aiming a jump-kick at her throat.<p>

"Tethys Cutter!" the Fate Driver yelled, and Tarock slashed with the blade of blue energy that jumped from the tip of her bracelet. She caught Ven and Donis across the chest and knocked them away, giving her time to get up. It hadn't had the length or sheen it had when she'd been fighting the Dryad Mythos, but she'd been putting everything she had into those attacks, and what she had now wasn't much.

Donis got up and started to circle around Tarock as he looked for an opening, but Tarock flicked her glance over her shoulder trying to spot Ven, whose black armor was almost invisible in the dwindling light. Suddenly Donis ran at Tarock and spin-kicked her in the back. Tarock shouted in pain and turned as quickly as her aching limbs would allow and cried "Calamity! Jaws of Frost!" A thin sheet of ice formed over Donis's armor, but cracks were already stretching across it. It wouldn't matter as long as she could make it to the bike, then she could travel to the Sphere and have a whole world to lose them in. Tarock started toward where she'd parked Shift Runner…

…and a pair of lights she only had a second to recognize as the crystals in Ven's armor came shooting out of the darkness at her before Ven stabbed her in the chest with a pair of metal blades on the wrists of Ven's black armor. "Woe! Hydro Jet!" Tarock battered her enemy back a step, then another step, then another with the blast of water.

But Ven crouched and lunged forward, catching her in the chest with one blade at the same moment Donis threw a blazing punch at Tarock's back. Their bracelets said with alarming calm, "Twilight Convergence." And everything seemed to explode around her.

Tarock was blown through the air to land next to Shift Runner, her armor flickering away. Anxiously she checked the Fate Driver and her form card, and to her relief they looked undamaged. As the two armored warriors loomed over her, it looked like the same couldn't be said for Liss for very long.

*BOOM!*

A swarm of tiny explosions erupted over her attackers' forms. Ven and Donis seemed more annoyed than hurt, but the hulking black man holding a smoking shotgun didn't seem intimidated by them. "You okay, kid?" he asked in Liss's direction.

"I'll live," she coughed. "But not if I catch another hit like that."

"Then get going to somewhere safe," he said. Ven seemed to glare at him and raised a wrist-blade, but Donis stepped in front of her.

"We're only here to deal with one troublesome outsider, and that's Tarock," he said.

Liss climbed up onto her bike, the man still pointing his gun at the unimpressed Ven and Donis. "Why are you doing this?" she whispered while she started the engine.

"Because of those eyes," he said. "I got a girl living with me who says someone with big yellow eyes saved 'er from a giant bat."

Liss squinted. "Sensei?" The man just nodded. "Tell Paige Decker I'm sorry I had to leave all of a sudden," Liss said then roared off, speed and escape the only thing on her mind. There was a burst of light in front of her as she left Earth behind and reappeared on a darkened road with tall yellow grass on either side.

Shift Runner hadn't changed into a horse like it had the last time she'd come to the Sphere, but that was at the back of Liss's mind. She needed to find a place to hide and recover before anymore battles. After a few miles the grass thinned out and she spotted a cluster of trees away from the road. She pulled in there, found a soft-looking patch of ground and collapsed on it.

Before Liss drifted off to sleep, she thought about how the morning was sure to bring new battles for her life and the lives of thousands, millions even of people she didn't know. Thinking of the daily slog through interactions with people who hated her and who she hated right back that used to be her life, she didn't regret her choice to pick up the Fate Driver. Here she might have enemies, but she finally had _more_ than enemies. And considering everything that had been thrown at her so far, she _wasn't_ doing so bad.

_At least, I hope_, she thought as sleep claimed her.

* * *

><p>Finally the rippling and bobbing of flight between the worlds ceased and Ven and Donis found themselves gliding through the sky over a range of hills on the middle level of the Sphere. They passed a fortified town near a dirt road, but there was no trace of Tarock. They lowered to the ground and flashed back to normal.<p>

Nema and Lurian exchanged a strained glance. The turbulence they'd run into while flying back from the outside was nothing compared to the simmering tension in their eyes. After a second their bracelets flashed and shook, and their looks became even more anxious.

"Maybe we shouldn't answer," Nema said. "They're not going to be too pleased we let Tarock get away."

"They'd be even less pleased to hear we slaughtered someone trying to get to her," was Lurian's clipped reply. Glaring at him Nema touched her bracelet to his and an image appeared in front of them. It was of the bizarre sight of a man and woman floating in midair, their hands physically melded together, as well as their legs just below the knees. "Hello, Mila and Felco," Lurian said, bowing his head.

"Have you located Tarock?" the woman of this strange pairing asked.

"Yes," Nema replied, "and we were about to deal with her when another outside interfered. Lurian prevented me from attacking."

The male half of the strange synthesis was the one to reply. "It was for the best. You are to be the Sphere's champions, not mindless slayers who go antagonizing the outside. Slay _our_ foes, _that_ is why you were bestowed our power!"

The female half said next, "Here is the first portion of what we promised."

The image flashed and turned into energy that beamed into their eyes, and suddenly they were somewhere, some_when,_ else.

They were by a sparkling stream, sitting in the shade of an ancient tree. Lurian had on the blue and gold uniform he'd gotten for making into Mazones's War Academy. Nema had on that red dress with the black edging her big sister had given her, and they were waiting for her family to meet them. Nema looked up and met Lurian's eyes, and he smiled softly as he looked back.

"Congratulations," she said again.

He laughed. "I'm more worried about meeting your parents, with all the things you've said about your mother, than anything I've got to look forward to in the army."

"She's…she's something all to herself, that's true," Nema giggled. She reached out and cupped his cheek, and Lurian gently cupped her wrist.

He said, in measured words, "So are you."

Slowly Nema withdrew her hand. "Lurian…," she whispered. They started leaning closer together.

Then there was a flash and they were back in the present. Nema and Lurian gave each another sidelong glance, this one far more uncertain than angry.

* * *

><p>A persistent buzz slowly stirred Liss from her sleep. She rolled onto her back, afraid she was about to be attacked, then realized it was coming from where she'd stashed the Fate Driver inside her coat. Pulling it out she could see the image of Shardak, the bodiless wizard who'd created her powers long ago, shimmering above the crystal ball in the middle.<p>

"Liss! There you are at last! Did everything go all right with the emperor?" he asked.

"He was nicer than I expected, and I got the card. Right after that two other guys attacked me, Ven and Donis. They changed into armor like I do. You know anything about that?"

Shardak frowned. "I don't, but it wouldn't surprise me if another of the Arcana had empowered champions of their own."

"But possible," Liss reminded him. "Which is why I need to find the last card right away."

The wizard looked at her with disapproval. "Your zeal is appreciated but there's another thing I'd like to request of you first. Not far away is something we need secured. Jack will meet you there and tell you where to find the fourth card."

Liss sighed as he gave her the directions. Wasn't this supposed to a partnership? Didn't that mean she got some kind of say in what they did, instead of him ruling over her by withholding information until he decided it was time? Still, he only wanted this one thing, and he hadn't said anything about any really badass Mythos in the area. How much of a hassle could it be?

As soon as she had the last card, though, Liss planned to have a pointed discussion with Shardak about the one of them doing all the dangerous stuff having more input. She rode into the field Shardak had directed her to until she spotted the ruins of a town a half mile or so off. There were still thin plumes of smoke rising from the shattered houses…a Mythos had probably been through not too long ago after all. Liss stopped at the edge of a small cliff, one with a mine entrance at the bottom.

Liss shivered but tried to hide it out of instinct as she went inside. She didn't like being underground, but supposed it was something she'd better get used to if she was going to do this for real. At first the walls were just bare rock, but as Liss went deeper small, colorful gems peeked out of the walls and got bigger as she went. "Is anybody here?"

Suddenly something whistled through the air at her head but Liss grabbed it and wrenched it out of its owner's hands. A shovel. Not surprising considering the dirt-streaked face and dusty clothes of the man who'd tried to attack her could only belong to one of the miners. Two others ran up and dragged him away from Liss.

"I apologize for my friend," one of the miners said. "We were expecting a monster. What are you doing here?"

"I'm the new Tarock. And I don't appreciate it when people try to bust me upside the head with shovels."

The one who'd taken a swing at her asked. "Where were you last night, Tarock? When the monster was smashing our town into rubble?"

"Fighting for my life," Liss answered. "Sorry, even Tarock can only be in one place at a time."

"_Anyway_," the other miner interrupted. "Thank you for coming even if it's a little too late. I'm surprised the Mythos didn't pay any attention to the mine."

"What exactly do you guys mine here?" Liss asked.

"Gems with special powers. Very, very special powers."

Liss nodded. "That sounds real important, now I understand why he sent me here," she said, and then suddenly turned and smashed her fist into the face of another miner creeping up on her with a knife. He hit the ground and convulsed, turning into one of the faceless white Mythos that could disguise themselves as other people. Immediately Liss locked the Fate Driver around her waist and loaded it

"Pentacles Suit!" The three miners were pushed back by the rush of power created by Liss's change into Tarock. Before the green armor had even finished forming over the undersuit they flickered and changed into more of the faceless Mythos themselves, and she already heard a snarl from something else behind her. Two of the Mythos grabbed her by the arms but she easily threw them off. The last raced at her with a pickaxe but Tarock passed her hand in front of the Fate Driver and her warhammer appeared. They swung at the same time but the Mythos's blow was knocked aside and the Mythos itself caught Tarock's hammer on his chest and slammed into the wall.

Then without warning a group of them came charging down the tunnel and jumped on top of Tarock, forcing her to the ground. But raw strength filled her body in this form and she struggled to just plant her hands, knowing it would be easy to throw them off once she did, but she didn't get the chance. Something huge and heavy crashed down onto her back, through all the monsters piling on top of her. Tarock yelled out and shoved herself up, throwing the weaker Mythos off her.

Looking down at Tarock was tall and green Mythos with warts and bumps all over his body. Beady eyes glared at her over a hooked nose and a mouth of sharp, uneven teeth. In his beefy hands with a stone club that he swung at Tarock's head, but she knocked it away with her hammer and smashed the Mythos again and again on his chest and one shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon. She shoulder-checked him in the stomach but he hardly budged a step before grabbing her by the arms and threw her down the tunnel. Tarock smacked into a wall and slid off covered in blue gem dust.

The Mythos roared as he came charging at her, club high over his head. She could've easily pinned him in place with her Terra Bind, or impaled him with her Earth Needle, or even knocked him clean out of the tunnel with an Earth Fist. But after all the bashing around she'd taken yesterday, Tarock opted for something much simpler. She dodged the monster's wild swing, jumped up and punched him as hard as she could right in the face. His head jerked back and she hit him again in the stomach and he stumbled backward. Then she joined her hands and brought them down hard on the Mytho's neck. There was a crack and he roared in pain.

He turned and grabbed Tarock's shoulders and squeezed. Tarock's armor creaked but she grabbed his wrists and shoved him off, then gathered her strength for her next strike. "Calamity! Edifice Breaker!" The punch connected with the monster's chest and blasted it back down the tunnel, blue smoke coming off his body as he flew. A second after he landed outside there was nothing left.

And that was fine with Liss.

* * *

><p>A half hour later Liss was sure no-one was hiding in the mine and the town beyond, Mythos or survivor. There weren't even any traces of bodies, and edgy as she was already, Liss tried not to think what that implied. She was waiting by the entrance to the mine when the air seemed to stretch for a second and then someone appeared on the rim.<p>

"Greetings, Liss! You seem to have kept busy since our last meeting!" said a man in bright white and green clothing, tweaking his Robin Hood hat down over his face and standing his hobo stick against the ground. It was Jack, one of the Arcana as well as one of Shardak's few allies.

"Hey, Jack? You got something for me?" she replied.

He jumped down to meet and then reached into his bundle to produce a red card with a golden sword emblem on the front. It was another of Tarock's form cards, finally repaired after a disastrous defeat. She felt a little safer, a little stronger, to have it back. "So, what's so special about these jewels you need me to make sure they're safe before I go looking for the last card?"

"Many of them have special qualities," Jack answered, then stopped. Liss scowled.

"No, damn it, that's not enough. You guys want me to be your champion or whatever and do all the dangerous stuff, you can sure as hell keep me in the loop better than that. This is your world you guys want me to save, not mine. Let me know what's going on!"

Jack nodded sympathetically. "Agreed, Liss, we have not told you everything, but as you say, this is our world. You demonstrated a strength and resolve that were ideal for being Tarock, but you were not a choice we were familiar with and I hope you won't take offense that your outlook is perhaps dubious for someone we are hoping to be an example to our people."

"You and Shardak sound exactly the same," Liss mumbled and crossed her arms. "So are you guys firing me or what?" she asked, but Jack shook his head.

"I don't know that we can afford the time, and like it or not you've already established yourself with that battle at Avalon. But let me defend Shardak's decision to withhold the location of the last card. It's in the ruins where the first Tarock had his final battle with the Mythos, and those ruins aren't far from Mazones, which is home to most of the Arcana who consider Tarock a danger," Jack patiently explained.

"And what about the jewels?" Liss said. "You guys gonna give them to people for those Mythos alarms?"

"Come with me," Jack said with a smile and led Liss back into the mine. He gestured at the large gems in the walls, red in one section, yellow in the next, then green, blue, purple… "These Ora Stones have many remarkable properties when harnessed correctly. They can be used to detect disguised Mythos, for one, they can serve as amplifiers for power, and they were what gave the holy relics of the four tribes the special powers that your cards now hold."

Liss looked over the gems, not doubting they could contain potent power after all the things she'd seen. "Those look like the jewels those guys who attacked me before I came back to the Sphere had…"

"Those two flying around?" Jack asked. "I'd watch out if you're who they're looking for. They look like they won't stop until whatever they're after's completely wiped out."

"Flying? Can _I _fly?" Liss asked.

"Not to the best of my knowledge."

Sighing, Liss waved it off. "I can handle them, I was just too worn out last time."

Jack nodded simply. "But there's more to the Ora Stones, Liss. A few of them even found their way to your world, and were used to empower other warriors not unlike Tarock. Mostly in a place called 'nee-pon', I believe.

"Some stones were fashioned into medals used to house the powers of beasts, or rings that empowered sorcerers. Two were even formed into a matched pair, something to do with the sun and moon and their wearers fighting to the death to determine the ruler of the world. Does any of that sound familiar?"

"Maybe," Liss said, looking away thoughtfully. "Guys from something called…Gorgon? I always thought Sensei was making that up…"

"Making what up, Liss?" Jack asked.

She shook her head but answered. "This guy who taught me kung-fu when I was a kid. He used to live in Japan and he talked about some terrorists called Gorgon, or something like that, and how they had monsters working for them. He said they were supposed to have two guys fighting to be the leader. He showed every new class this huge scar on his back and he said a giant bat gave it to him when he was trying to get out of the country."

Jack set down his stick then held out one hand palm up and an image of a figure in black armor from head to toe, with bug-like antennae on his forehead and a pair of huge red eyes on his mask appeared. In Jack's other hand another figure, this one in silver with large green eyes, appeared. Both raised their fists and then started to punch, kick and dodge the other's attacks as Jack went on.

"It's all too true, Liss, and there are many stories like it. Of brave people with great power who fought powerful enemies." The black and silver fighters disappeared and were replaced by an image of another with a red mask, yellow on his arms and green on his legs fighting his way through a group of monsters that looked like thin mummies. "Much was at stake, and for many their battles cost them dearly."

"I can handle it," Liss replied.

"Oh?" Jack said, and let it hang in the air. The image changed again to a figure in blue suit under silver armor with an image of a spade on the chest. He wielded a long sword against a monster that looked like a huge bat, not unlike the one she'd fought herself. Then he was replaced by another, green on his right side and black on his left who punched and kicked away attackers in black business suits with luchador masks that had a white centipede design from top to front. "I know your world glorifies the way of the warrior, Liss. But remember the fate of your predecessor, poor Mesho. Even the first Tarock didn't survive to tell us what he saw in his final battle."

Oh, so he was trying to psych her out, was he? See if she'd back off when he told her how hard it was for the ones who'd come before her. Well, he could forget it. She hadn't exactly been getting by on her good looks before, and she'd beaten that giant Mythos yesterday.

"You're not scaring me out of this, Jack."

Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps I was asking you to ask yourself if this is truly the kind of life you want."

"Maybe I don't have many other options."

"There are always options," Jack smiled, "but if you're set on your course you see it's important we made sure these Ora Stones were safe. That Mythos were here means they know what the stones can be used for and had plans for them. These are not mindless beasts."

"I kind of got that when they singled me out at school," Liss replied. "But thanks for explaining that. What do they want 'em for, though?"

"I shudder to imagine," Jack answered.

"Okay then…where's the last card? Exactly."

"Ride west until you come to one of the crystal shafts. When you reach the end, ride to the mountains you see. There's a pass with a rock that looks like a wolf's head near it. Follow that and you'll find the ruins, and within the Card of Wands. Be careful."

Liss nodded. "Thanks, Jack. See you around."

"You will," he said as she walked back out of the mine. A second later he heard her motorcycle roar to life and fade into the distance.

It was a pity. Someone so young, so strong but so conflicted already. Was it right to continue to ask her to be their envoy, yet did they dare change their course with what she'd already accomplished in their world as well as her own and how much time was against them?

A thought came over Jack and he pried loose one of the gems, a brilliant green one. Maybe there was a way to get more help for their cause…

* * *

><p>Darkness was setting in by the time Liss found the rock Jack was talking about. She took the pass slowly, expecting Mythos to jump out of every shadow. The thought of a Mythos attack ate at her as she rode farther and farther down the road. So far it had only happened when she was there, but people from the Sphere didn't seem to have much trouble getting to her hometown back on Earth. What if they <em>did<em> do something when she wasn't there and attacked someone who wasn't her? What if Ven and Donis did? Was Shardak expecting her to only think about the people on _his_ side?

A few minutes later the pass emptied out into a small valley full of jagged columns and stone blocks laying wherever the forces of nature had left them after years of neglect. Liss rode around the debris looking for anything that stood out. A pedestal. A standing building with a sturdy door. Finally her headlight stopped on a flight of stone stairs descending into the ground.

That had to be it, didn't it? Liss pondered waiting until daylight before going down. At least she'd be rested up before she faced whatever was down there. But the longer she waited, the longer it would be before she was at full power and ready as she could possibly be for whatever the Sphere decided to throw at her next.

While she thought it over, a pair of glowing objects appeared in the sky overhead and started to grow larger and larger as they grew closer. Liss tensed and ducked behind a wall as they stopped and hovered over the ruins, probably having spotted her bike. One of the lights was bright white, and the other was a stark black that stood out against the deep blue of the night sky.

Ven and Donis.

After hovering a few seconds more they started to descend, and Liss vaulted the wall and dashed to where Shift Runner was parked. It shimmered and changed to a medallion again that Liss stowed in her coat before bolting down the stairs. She'd give them the fight they wanted when _she_ decided. At the bottom was a stone room with a passage leading away. Liss started toward it but there was a blinding flash of white light and Donis was blocking it. Not to Liss's surprise Ven was between her and the stairs.

The familiar urge to defend herself started to well up inside Liss, but she stopped herself. _Couldn't_ she stand to have a few less people gunning for her? Maybe she could talk her way out of this, and get them to see they wanted the same thing. "Why are you guys after me?" Liss asked as she slowly got out the Fate Driver. "I want to kill Mythos so they don't kill people, isn't that what you guys want too?"

"We want to save the Sphere," Donis said. "From all its threats."

"Why don't you ask that Emperor Solymen guy? I killed a huge Mythos attacking his city. That something somebody who wanted to kill the Arcana would do?"

"Solymen is weak," Ven said, unmoved. "The Sphere is at war with one enemy already, we don't need Shardak plotting in the shadows too."

"Do you guys even-"

"Enough talk!" Ven roared.

Liss locked the Fate Driver on her waist. If that was how it had to be, she wasn't about to roll over die for these two. "Swords Suit!" Thick red armor solidified on her undersuit and as soon as it did she passed her hand in front of her belt and the hilt of a sword appeared from it. She grasped the haft and a pair of crossbars slid from the center, and a glistening blade flashed into being atop it.

Then Ven rushed at Tarock, jabbing and slashing with the blades on her armor's wrists. She landed a slash across Tarock's chest, but Tarock spun with the momentum of the blow and slashed Ven in retaliation across the back. Sparks flew and Ven cried out, then her bracelet said "Ven Split." Her form blurred and then turning to face Tarock were _three_ black-armored warriors.

As one they surrounded Tarock and slashed, punched and kicked at her again and again. Gathering her strength Tarock swung her sword in a circle around her. One Ven ducked, the second jumped over the blade, but the third was taken by surprise and knocked on her back. Tarock took her chance and jumped through the opening she'd created by knocking down the one Ven. But as soon as she did Donis landed next to her from a jump and delivered a vicious chop to the wrist of the hand holding her sword.

Tarock yelled as her entire arm went numb and her sword dropped from her hand. Donis aimed another chop at her other shoulder but Tarock dodged to the side and grabbed the Rend Brace from her belt. "Calamity! Thunder Lash!" she screamed and cracked the electrical whip as soon as it appeared. It hit Donis square in the chest, causing him to cry out and sink to one knee. The three Vens ran at Tarock wailing like banshees but she cracked the whip in an arc and sparks flew from their chest plates.

Quickly Tarock bent down and swept up her sword in her left hand. She didn't like the idea of fighting four opponents with her strongest weapon in her off hand, but it was still the only one she could feel. Desperately she considered her options as Ven and Donis closed in, then suddenly spotted something behind them. It was a floating cube the size of a baseball, but as she watched it shift into the shape of a pyramid and flitted back and forth in front of one section of the wall.

"Woe! Bladestorm!" Tarock screamed and swiped her sword with all her might, unleashing a barrage of shining daggers that battered at Ven and Donis. She took a running jump and somersaulted in the air above them and landed where the floating shape indicated. Glad for any escape she might get Tarock slashed her sword into the wall and the stone fell away revealing another passage. The shape nipped into the darkness and Tarock followed, hoping it would lead her closer to the last card.

She didn't notice the faint form slinking through the shadows behind her.

* * *

><p>The guard squatted closer to the watchtower beacon. Nights seemed to be getting even colder since reports of the Mythos's return had come trickling in. They were so remote, no help would be coming in time if a Mythos did. And he certainly didn't like their chances if one did attack.<p>

He sighed and huddled closer, scanning the darkened terrain with aching eyes. His stiff bunk in the barracks was seeming like a featherdown bed in the emperor's palace ever since they'd ordered extra sentry duty in case a monster should attack.

But then, he spotted a hint of movement some fifty yards from the edge of the town wall and ran as fast as he could to the alarm bell and rang it for all he was worth. Another group of guards ran out, weapons drawn, but returned slowly a few minutes later, and carrying an emaciated teen girl in a ragged robe between them.

"What's your name, little one?" one of the villagers asked.

"I am…Lost. Water," she whispered hoarsely. "Please, just let me have some water."

"Of course, little one, of course," she was told while the bucket was brought up from the well. "You can tell us all about what happened once you've got your strength back." They filled a tin cup with water and Lost gratefully grabbed it and started gulping down the contents.

In the dim light of the torches and lanterns no-one noticed the black rivulets seeping from her palms.

* * *

><p>Next time, on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Donis: We'll find you wherever you run, Tarock.

(Liss enters a stone crypt with an open sarcophagus)

Liss: What else was down here?

(Shadows watch Liss, Ven and Donis as they search the ruins but scatter as a red-eyed shape walks among them)

Ven: What could possibly drive her to fight so hard?

(Tarock appears in a new form with light blue armor, carrying a metal rod)

Jack: (amused) Perhaps she fights to find out for herself.

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	9. Chapter 9: Lurking in the Dark

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Nine: Lurking in the Dark

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by a resurgence monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

But as she battled the Mythos and searched for the special cards that were the keys to unlocking each of Tarock's special powers, Liss found her years of self-righteousness shaken by the gratitude of the people she ended up helping. Confused, and on the run from a pair of warriors from the Sphere bent on her death, Liss's only goal now is to find the last of the cards she needs and then figure out her next move. As she heads underground in search of it with her enemies close behind, Liss doesn't know how much more than her last card waits in the tunnels below…

* * *

><p>The strange shape that had identified the secret passage to Tarock flitted ahead as she dashed through the tunnel after it. The tunnel curved multiple times and more than once she had to jump over piles of dirt and stone that had fallen from the ceiling. How long had it been since anyone had been down there?<p>

Another turn and the shape led her into a wide ovular room. There were two exits on opposite ends and she looked to the shape for guidance, but it just hovered in the middle of the room. "Damn it, they're gonna be here any second!" she chided it, but the shape flew closer and circled around her belt buckle.

Was it trying to tell her something? Like to deactivate her powers? That seemed suicidal with Ven and Donis right behind her, but…what if they could sense Tarock, like she could sense Mythos? If she did change back, then maybe she could give them the slip. She'd certainly learned the value of being able to fool her enemies over the last couple years. If not, though…

The card ejected and Tarock faded away, leaving Liss Decker in her place. She felt naked without her armor, but ducked into a shadow behind a fallen column and waited. Ven and Donis dashed into the room a second later then looked around.

"Where'd she go?" growled Ven.

"Don't know, can't feel her around anymore," Donis answered her. "I'll go this way, you go that way." Their armor shimmered with energy and they flew down the passages leading away.

Once she was sure they weren't coming back Liss stood up again. The shape darted to her side, did a few loops to get her attention and then drifted toward the tunnel Donis had taken. Well, if she had to meet either of them again she'd probably choose the less psycho one, even if she knew less about his powers. Liss followed, but said, "This better not be some kind of trick.  
>The shape spun faster a few times before it continued to lead the way, and Liss got the impression of laughter.<p>

* * *

><p>A piece of gravel skittered across the road. Sue Gand watched it roll, then sighed and looked away. The story of the century had just slipped through her fingers. Apparently Liss Decker had never made it back to her sister's place the night before; she'd retreated to the Sphere after being attacked two people in black and white armor. Without Liss she had no way of getting there herself and keep up with what was going on.<p>

She should've never let that kid out of her sight.

As Sue turned a corner toward that one diner she'd noticed to see if they had a good dinner menu, she almost collided with a man in paint-splattered coveralls carrying a ladder on one shoulder.

"Sorry, lady!"

Curiously, Sue peered around the corner and saw a flaking mural painted on the side of the building. It looked like it was once an image of a skyline, and it was only really clear on the edge closest to the corner where they were standing. After looking for a second Sue realized it was clearer because that part had much fresher paint on it.

"Ah, touching up the picture, huh?" Sue asked.

He smiled a little and nodded. "Been meaning to forever but just never cared enough to make the effort. After, well…"

"After what?" Sue pressed.

"Well, after whoever that was killed that bat monster at the high school and that scorpion down by the bridge…," he shrugged, and the ladder clattered. "Just seemed like I'd been putting it off long enough."

"Have a good night," Sue said and walked on. He smiled and waved her goodbye before going on his way. Sue wandered to the little restaurant she was headed to before, wondering a little more at what was going on.

The restaurant wasn't hard to find, but only two older men were there as she came in, sitting in one of the booths and telling mumbled stories and laughing over beers. Sue took a seat in the corner and looked at the scuffed menu on the table without really seeing it. A waitress came up a minute later.

"Can I get you anything, miss?"

"Um, I'm still deciding," Sue said. "I know it's kind of late but could I maybe get some coffee?"

"Sure thing, miss. I can start a pot if you don't mind waitin' a few minutes."

"No, that'll be fine," Sue answered. The waitress left and Sue was left alone, trying to think of any angle she could follow up on to wring a little more out of her visit to this town. The bell on the door jangled and someone came in. He had dirty blonde hair and a tattered denim jacket on, and a slight look of relief came over him as he spotted Sue.

She recognized him. It was the boy who wouldn't stop trying to impress her with how amazing it had been when his ex-girlfriend put on armor and saved the school from a vampire. But now there were bags under his eyes, his hair was dirty and tangled, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. It was Ben Corland, and he sighed before he walked over and took a seat across from her without waiting for an invitation.

"You," he wheezed. "You're the reporter here to find out about Liss Decker, right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know where she is?" he asked, an intensity appearing in his eyes that Sue could tell meant her answer would either fulfill all his hopes, or destroy them. She sighed inwardly before she gave it to him.

"Long answer's kind of, short answer's no," Sue replied.

Ben clenched his fists. "Kind of?" he asked, sounding angry now. "What do you mean, 'kind of'?"

Sue's eyes narrowed. "Why don't you calm your ass down, young man, if you want me to keep talking to you?"

"I _can't_," he said, less angry and more simply desperate now. "_I have to know what's happened to her._"

"And like I said, I don't know," Sue said. "Her sister tells me Liss's old kung fu teacher told _her_ about how two people attacked her last night, and she rode away and hasn't been seen since."

"You didn't say no," Ben reminded her. "You said 'kind of'."

Sue steepled her fingers in front of her face. "She's in a different world, the one where those monsters came from. I don't know how to follow her there; going back and forth is one of her powers."

Ben hissed in frustration and held his face in his hands. "I just want to know if she's okay," he mumbled. Everyone in the little restaurant was staring at the back booth, thanks to the noise from Ben's breakdown. Sue fidgeted and was about to offer whatever condolences she could when the world around her seemed to distort outward for a fraction of a second.

She prepared herself for the worst as she peered out the window to see what had just happened, but was still surprised by what she saw.

* * *

><p>The shape had shifted into the form of a ring turning over and over as it continued to drift down the tunnel ahead of Liss. They'd gone down stairs and around corners for what seemed like hours. There hadn't been any forks in the tunnel as they went, and Liss was a little unsure about how she'd be able to fight Donis off if they caught up to him in this cramped passage. After all, Tarock had been around for a while. He probably knew more about her powers than she did about his.<p>

She shivered unintentionally as she followed the shape. Why was everything underground lately? Would she have to fight a monster in a tiny hallway like this? It didn't matter, Liss told herself. She'd be able to focus, definitely, she told herself. Then shivered uncomfortably again.

The passage emptied out into a chamber almost the size of a football field, but there was no sign of Donis. Then again, other passages dotted the walls and if he still thought Liss was ahead of him he could've gone down any one of them. Liss looked to the shape for guidance but it was rising up toward the ceiling and disappeared as it touched.

The shape drifted through the stone and dirt until it reached the surface where another shape waited. First a golden sphere, then an electric blue netted form, then a bright yellow rhombus. The smaller shape floated up to the larger and disappeared into it, and with that the larger shape flew off.

* * *

><p>Liss looked around the room for some sign of the last card, since this seemed to be where her strange guide had decided she needed to be. The only outstanding feature in the room was the stone coffin or sarcophagus in the middle with its lid leaning against it on one side. There were metal bands with weird symbols on them that looped underneath but had been snapped when it had been opened. There were even curved pieces of stone that looked like they once formed a cage around the empty coffin scattered all over the room.<p>

She winced as even her softest steps echoed down the length of the room. At this rate it wouldn't be long before Donis heard her and came back, so she'd have to find the fourth card fast. Liss crept over to the sarcophagus, but saw no sign of the card inside. For a second she worried that whatever had broken out had taken it with them, but that didn't seem likely. Jack and Shardak might not have told her everything, but they'd never flat-out lied to her.

What if that shape hadn't been leading her to the card, though, but something else? Like what?

Liss checked the room again and spotted a dull blue gem lodged in the roof right above the coffin. She picked up a rock and tossed it at the gem, which fell into her hand. And immediately, Liss wasn't standing in the crypt anymore.

She could see the room she'd just entered, but the coffin was closed with a dome-shaped cage of stone over it. The room was littered with bodies, the only one moving being someone in Tarock's Swords armor. But the armor was burnt and slashed from a heavy battle and only barely recognizable. He kneeled over the cage and chanted something Liss didn't understand. The cage glowed for a second before returning to normal. Gripping his chest, Tarock rose to his feet and staggered into one of the tunnels.

That must have been when after the fight with whatever had started the first Mythos outbreak, and something—or someone—important to it must have been trapped in the coffin. Something even Tarock wasn't powerful enough to destroy completely. But what had it been?

For a long time she only saw the empty room, but all of a sudden a small army of Mythos monsters stomped into view. A hulking blue one with horns and a tiger-striped loincloth grabbed the cage over the coffin. There was a flash of light and the Mythos exploded into blue smoke like they always did upon death, but a hunk of the bar that had been in his hands was gone too.

Another monster, identical to the first except for having bright red skin, marched up to the cage and grabbed it. He exploded too, but another bar was missing when the light cleared.

A third monster, a four-legged, scaly beast like a dragon walked up next. It exhaled a cloud of icy blue gas at the cage, which shimmered and sent the gas back to envelop the Mythos. Almost instantly it froze solid and shattered, but a few of the bars were still coated with frost. A nine-foot-tall, two-headed giant hefted his club and smashed it down where the frost had collected. He burst in a flash, but a gaping hole was left where he'd hit.

So it went. One by one Mythos attacked the cage, either with their bare hands, energy blasts or other abilities. One that looked like the two-legged version of the scorpion Mythos Liss had once fought spat a glob of green slime from his mouth before the cage's protective force rebounded and blew him away. Eventually the cage and the bands around it were shattered. Only one Mythos was left, a strange humanoid with a green face and mass of vines hanging down from his shoulders reaching almost to his knees. They extended out and flipped the lid off the coffin.

Inside was a woman who looked two steps away from being a corpse. Her skin was the same ivory white as her hair and dress. It was hard telling where one stopped and the next started.

But then she opened her eyes. They were coal black with red irises. Even though she knew she was watching something that had already happened, Liss swore the woman was looking right at her.

The woman sat up and held out her hand imperiously for the remaining Mythos to take, which he did and helped her stand. The woman walked quickly and with an inhuman grace toward one of the exits of the crypt.

The scene faded and Liss was in the empty room, holding the gem which had gone totally dark. It was starting to make a little more sense. That woman in the coffin, she was probably the one Lost had talked about, the one who said the horrible things to her she couldn't shut out. If Lost was creating Mythos monsters and a huge group of them had so eagerly given their lives to free the woman in the coffin, who else could it be?

But Liss realized she wasn't alone anymore. Standing in one doorway, visor fixed on her was Donis. "Looks like you found something," he said, then his body was surrounded by light as he came flying at her.

"Pentacles Suit!" the Fate Driver cried and Tarock's armor finished forming only a second before Donis crashed into her. Shouting in frustration Tarock linked her hands over her head and brought them down on Donis's back in a fierce downward smash. Donis fell flat on the floor and groaned. Maybe Liss wasn't a model citizen back home, but what would people from the Sphere care? She hadn't done anything but help people out since getting here, but all anybody could think about was how the original Tarock had killed somebody and she wondered if anyone even knew why. He'd locked up the leader of the Mythos, right? He must've had a reason for killing that one Arcanum…

But even as she summoned her warhammer, Tarock hesitated to pound Donis back to the ground as he was scrambling to his feet. "Why are guys so set on killin' me?" Tarock asked. "For something another guy who had this suit did forever guy? Seriously?"

"That and more," Donis gasped. "The Arcana have promised to give me back my soul mate's love." He attacked then, aiming a chop at her wrist but Tarock twisted to avoid him and his hand struck her side instead. Tarock gasped from a surge of pain but her thick armor in Pentacles Form and not catching it on a joint this time had saved her from the worst of his numbing attack.

She slammed her fist into his chest and staggered him for the second she needed to pound a kick into his chestplate that knocked clear across the room. Donis recovered quickly and came flying back at her, only for Tarock to bat him out of the air with a swing of her Gran Crusher. He rolled a few times, but got to his feet and turned to face her again.

Damn it, the longer the fight went on the sooner it would be before Ven was bound to hear it and come running, and she still had no idea where the fourth card was. _Had_ Jack lied to her just to get her here and maybe see for herself what had happened, knowing the one thing she was really after was the card she needed for her last form?

Donis ran at her unsteadily with an arm raised high, and Tarock jumped, somersaulted in the air and smashed her heel hard into his shoulder. He yelped and fell to his knees, clutching at his shoulder with his other hand. Still he rose, determined to continue the fight.

He didn't get the chance. A dark figure lunged into the room, and for a second Tarock thought it was Ven, until a chill covered her arm right before the intruder plowed into both of them and knocked down. Tarock jumped back up with all the speed her special powers allowed, but while she was down she spotted a small blue rectangle lodged in a crack in the ceiling.

The Mythos snarled but high and triumphantly instead of angrily. He looked like a gorilla with wiry green fur, with curved fangs extending from both jaws. His eyes were a red so deep it actually glowed, and Tarock felt a shiver run down her spine as she got the worrying feeling the woman from the coffin could see her through this monster. He charged her on all fours then threw a punch at her face with a fist the size of a manhole cover. Tarock brought up her free hand and caught it but the Mythos pushed her back foot after foot until she was pinned to the other wall.

He started to bring up his left arm but Tarock smacked his other fist away with an awkward one-armed swing with her Gran Crusher. She smashed it against the Mythos's left shoulder over and over until it was coated with the blue ichor these evil things had instead of blood and the monster was pounded to the floor in submission, breathing but gurgling unintelligibly in pain.

But as soon as the monster was out of her face Donis was on the attack again. His foot flashed out and caught in the back of her knee, and as she expected there was no pain, her leg simply went numb. Tarock slumped into a crouch but as Donis lashed at the back of her neck with a chop she brought up her hammer and blocked his attack on the haft. "You idiot, the Mythos isn't dead yet!" she yelled.

"You think you're a lesser menace than a senseless Mythos. How amusing," Donis replied. He chopped at her neck from both sides at once, but Tarock grabbed his wrists, headbutted him and kicked him to the other side of the room while he was dazed. The Mythos was getting up again, and Ven just flew into the room from one of the doors. This was getting out of hand, and Tarock wasn't going to wait for her enemies to regroup.

"Cups Suit!" The feeling of overpowering strength gave way to a greater agility as her green armor turned to the thinner yellow breastplate, greaves and mask of her Cups Form. Right away she summoned her Sea Hand. She'd need all the firepower she had get for the dash she was about to make. At her feet was the Mythos, still barely conscious, Donis getting up on the right and Ven on the left between her and her goal.

It was as good as hers.

Tarock jumped over the Mythos and broke into a run. Donis had risen and was about to throw himself at her but she aimed the Sea Hand at him. "Woe! Aqua Burst!" The high-pressure water ball slammed him into the wall. Ven screamed with rage and charged Tarock, but she aimed at her black-clad enemy next. "Calamity! Jaws of Frost!" A thick wall of ice formed between them and Tarock raced toward the corner where she'd seen her objective.

Then something that felt like a wrecking ball crashed into her back and knocked her flat. As quick as she could Tarock rolled onto her back and pointed the Sea Hand but a giant fist grabbed it in a crushing grip. She screamed in pain as she recognized the Mythos as he tightened the fingers of his right arm around the Sea Hand. The armor started to buckle and crack and Tarock kicked repeatedly at the Mythos's feet with all the strength she had. The Mythos grunted as he lost his balance and his grasp weakened just enough for Tarock to yank her arm free.

She clenched and unclenched the fingers of her left hand carefully and was relieved that they seemed uninjured, but the Sea Hand was cracked and sparks jumped from the jets. The state it was in, she didn't dare try to use it again. The Mythos was getting his feet underneath him, but he didn't get another chance to attack. Ven and Donis flew at him from opposite sides, striking him with their fists, and he was enveloped in an orb of yellow light before exploding into blue smoke. Tarock jumped and stuck her hand into the crack while they were distracted, seizing the blue rectangle, which was a card with a golden image of a two-pronged wand on the front. It could only be the one she'd been looking for.

"You're next, Tarock," Ven said.

Damn. She'd been hoping for some time to study this card more before having to go into battle, maybe even practice a little.

But she knew perfectly well how rarely life accommodated people. And right now, she needed some surprises.

"If you want a piece of me, you'll have to be ready to lose a couple yourselves," Tarock said, then loaded the Fate Driver.

"Wands Suit!" it announced, and the card's image jumped from the crystal dome on the front to drift down over her body, leaving the sparse yellow armor of her Cups Form with even thinner dark blue armored vest, bracers and greaves. The only ornament on her mask was a short blue spike with a tiny green gem in it like the ones set in her bracers and the knees of her greaves. The feeling of power was different again in this form; there was none of the overwhelming strength of Pentacles Form, but she could feel an awesome speed in her waiting to be unleashed.

Ven held one of her wristblades beside her mask and a ray of light traveled up it to the tip. "Enough of this. Now you die, Tarock."

"I couldn't agree more," Donis said.

"Shining Strike" said his bracelet. Donis's right arm was wreathed in white light and he chopped down at Tarock but she dodged to her left, seeming to simply disappear out of range of his attack. The ground exploded where his hand landed, and she could feel the power she'd just avoided.

"Ven Split!" Tarock readied herself for another pair of opponents, only to see Ven split into five total copies of herself. Tarock knocked one back, but not down, with a kick to the stomach but another jumped and stabbed Tarock in the chest with her wrist blades. Blasts of sparks flew and Tarock staggered into the wall. The gang of black-clad attacks surged forward and Tarock passed a hand in front of her belt to summon this form's weapon.

"Arms of Fate! Pyre Brand!" announced the Fate Driver. A blue metal wand, the Pyre Brand, appeared. The next Ven stabbed at her but Tarock knocked her hand away with the wand then spun and smacked her on the side of her shiny black helmet.

Two of them jumped at Tarock with their blades but she darted back and they cracked the floor with their attack instead. Tarock dashed around them in a circle, dragging the Pyre Brand on the ground. In the blink of an eye she'd finished and her belt said, "Calamity! Ring of Helios!" A wall of blue-tinged flames jumped from the circle she'd made and engulfed her attackers.

But even as she was awed by the power she found herself wielding, Tarock found her thoughts turning to escape rather than flattening Ven and Donis. If they were going to have this feud with her it would be when she decided. That, and…they weren't Mythos. She'd wished death on people for giving her a hard time more than once, but that was when they were still only people. Could she do that to someone, someone who thought they were fighting for their world, even if they were being stupid about it and thought she was the problem, Liss asked herself.

Donis came at her from behind at the same time two more Vens rushed at her from the front. Tarock concentrated and the Pyre Brand extended from a wand into a staff and swept it in a wide arc close to the ground, knocking the Vens off their feet. She jumped, flipped and kicked the last one four times before landing, then turned to block Donis's kick at her back with her staff. Tarock clouted him on the side of the head before hitting him on the back of his knees to knock him down. Donis did tumble forward, but turned it into a somersault, came out of it and did a sweep-kick on Tarock that knocked her down and allowed him to pin her arms behind her back.

"Hold her still so we can finish this," one Ven growled. She and two of the others gathered around Tarock while Donis kept her pinned. Their wristblades pulsed with dark energy but Tarock hardly noticed. Behind them she saw something about the size of an apple roll into the middle of the room, then crack open and start seeping a dark puddle.

"The Mytho is still alive!" Tarock yelled.

"Anything to drag out that miserable life of yours," all three Vens said at once.

"Nema," Donis interrupted. "She's not lying, something is happening." The puddle was starting to churn and rise, taking on a humanoid shape but a gigantic stature. It looked like the Mythos, a green-furred gorilla, but twelve foot at the shoulder and its left arm from the elbow down had grown even larger with a fist big enough to cave in the side of a house.

The trio of Vens that hadn't been dispelled by Tarock's fire and Donis flew forward to face the giant. A single Ven ran around to the monster's left but he smashed her against the wall with his oversized fist and she seemed to shatter into black dust. "Shining Strike!" Donis punched with a brightly glowing fist at the Mythos's arm. A small plume of blue ooze dribbled down from where Donis had hit, but in the next second the Mythos's arm blurred out and pounded Donis flat.

"Guess I get to try out what this form can really do," Tarock whispered. She focused on the name of a power this form had, one that was given at the bottom of the card as, compared to her other powers, it was something of a cheat. Well, Liss knew that it wasn't cheating when there were no rules. "Mag Step," she said.

Immediately everything else seemed to stop moving as Tarock ran to the Mythos and kicked him over and over against the arm. Then motion returned and he gargled in surprise and pain to see a score of dents in his arm which were already dripping blue goop. Tarock gasped at how drained she felt just from that one effort. But then the Mythos lashed out at Tarock with his larger arm and she jumped over it, but concentrated hard in the middle of her jump and everything stopped again. She swiped her staff back and forth in the monster's face, trailing blue flame that singed its fur.

To Ven and Donis it looked like a blue blur was assaulting the giant Mythos, attacking in one spot too quickly to be seen then moving away attacking elsewhere before it reacted to the first. The blur landed on the Mythos's back and solidified into Tarock who jumped high, brandished her staff and called, "Dragon's Maw." A jet of blue flame surged from the tip and covered the Mythos's head. It screamed and thrashed but after a few seconds contorted and fell into a heap.

Then it smacked Tarock away.

In mid-air she turned into a blur again but solidified again next to Ven and Donis. "I've got an idea," she said, bracing herself on her staff and trying to hide how much the effort of using this form and being smacked by the monster was wearing on her. "If you guys think I can have those."

"What is it?" Donis asked, speaking over a fiery retort Ven had been about to make.

Ven and Tarock rushed the Mythos as he got up. Ven stabbed a wristblade into his face and black energy burst from it but the Mythos easily swatted her away with his smaller right hand and she shattered before even hitting the ground. Tarock jabbed his arm with her staff, only for the Mythos to smash his larger hand down on her like a hammer, but she turned into a puff of smoke as he did. He didn't notice the blur passing in front of him for just a second.

"Twilight Convergence," said their bracelets as Donis and Ven flew at the Mythos and rammed their fists into his shoulders. Their energies filled his body as they flew past and out of the way. Tarock came to a stop right behind the Mythos, having completed a full circle.

"Ring of Helios," the Fate Driver said as Tarock poured energy into the circle and a huge ring of fire erupted around the Mythos just as Ven and Donis's attack tore through his massive frame. Pieces fell off and dissolved from Ven and Donis's energy while flame lapped at his arms and legs charring whatever they touched to a crisp that broke even faster. The Mythos screamed and slammed its fists around the room but the three of them retreated to the corners to wait out the monster's demise. Within a minute a faint blue smoke already dissipating into thin air was all that was left.

"We can't forget what we came for her," Ven whispered once the Mythos was totally destroyed. They looked over toward where Tarock was leaning against the wall, but all at once she seemed to burst in a puff of smoke. "We've been tricked!" Ven yelled. "She's gone!"

Indeed she was. With all her might, Tarock forced herself to ignore the pain that seemed to burn from every nerve in her body while she blurred down the tunnels to the entrance of the tomb. This form had powers even more amazing than her others'. But as she'd used the Mag Step and created and sustained double of herself, she'd felt her energy ebbing quickly. Keeping up those powers was a constant drain. And she had no intention of leaving herself totally drained around two people who wanted her dead.

As Tarock made it to the first room even she couldn't ignore the pain of exhaustion coupled with the injuries from her last fight, and collapsed, her armor fading. Fingers trembling she dug into her coat and gasped at the feeling of a warm, wet stain on her shirt. Her right arm wouldn't move, and she had an awful feeling that her last battle had served to reopen most of the injuries she thought she'd just shrugged off after some rest…

She produced the amulet and threw it, and it shimmered into that strange metal horse it could become instead of her bike. Liss hauled herself up into his saddle, and thought one word. Shift Runner was up the stairs and away in an instant.

The word was "Help."

* * *

><p>Liss faded in and out of consciousness several times while Shift Runner carried her along. She saw the sun coming up over the plain before she saw the woman in white from the images looking over her shoulder at Liss and smiling evilly. Liss felt a chill but wasn't sure if it was her power or simple fear.<p>

The woman beckoned and whispered, "Come to me, Tarock. Aid me and your reward will be power ten times that of which you command now," she said in a silky voice.

"I don't sell out to anybody," Liss gurgled. Everything went dark after that until she saw a forest surrounding them. For just a second she thought she saw the woman again, but her head started to feel light, and darkness engulfed her again.

After waking up to see trees a few more times, Liss came to and saw a walled city not far off. It could only be Mazones, home to her biggest non-fans. Everything blurred and she topped from the saddle, landing hard. She reached into her coat, moving agonizingly slowly and pulling out the Fate Driver that she just managed to drop into the bag on his saddle. If she was where she thought she was, being caught with that would be a death sentence.

"Go," she croaked through her dry throat. "I'll call you when I'm ready. If I make it…"

Shift Runner reared and whinnied loudly before turning and galloping off. "What was that?" someone yelled. Liss could hear running footfalls as things started to go black.

"Look, papa! It's a girl, and she's hurt!"

"Quick, Rexia! Run back to town for help!"

Then Liss couldn't hold out anymore, and the darkness claimed her again.

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Shardak: Where are you, Liss? Could I have asked too much?

(A bandaged Liss lies in front of a fire while an orange-haired teen girl tends to her wounds)

Girl: How did you come to be out so far?

Ven: It doesn't matter if Tarock has found all her powers, we are the champions of the Sphere!

Female Voice: What are two against thousands…?

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

* * *

><p>Well, there we are. It took a hell of a lot of fighting this chapter, but Liss managed to get the last of her cards, and we might have even seen a little deeper into the characters through it.<p>

By the way, the monster the Mythos from this chapter was based on how I saw Grendel from the story of Beowulf. Not as clear as the others, but I don't feel like leaving a possible monster out just because they're not a general, well-known type if they still work well.

Since Liss has gotten all of her forms, a little summary of seems appropriate.

Her henshin device is the Fate Driver. Set in the center is a small crystal ball called the Quartz Eye that materializes her current form's main weapon. Her secondary weapon is the Rend Brace, a bracelet with a large, diamond-shaped blade that can function as a cutting weapon or a small buckler. It also functions as a different weapon specific to each of her four forms.

Swords Form, in red, is Tarock's most basic form that's average at everything. Pretty strong, pretty tough, pretty fast. Her abilities come from the element of wind, and she also has powers from storms and lightning. Her signature weapon is the Skycalibur, a sword four and a half feet long, and her attack with the Rend Brace is the Thunder Lash, an electrical whip.

Pentacles Form, in green, is Tarock's power type. It has massive physical strength and thick armor but trades off in speed and agility, which are the lowest of any of her forms. Fittingly, her powers are related to the element of earth. This form's weapon is a warhammer called the Gran Crusher, and the Rend Brace's power is the Pent Defender that gathers rock into a shield.

Cups Form, in yellow, has strong elemental attacks but lacks in toughness and strength. This form's powers relate to water and ice. This form's weapon is the Sea Hand, a gauntlet with jets in the fingertips that directs most of her attacks. In true glass cannon fashion, she'd lose the ability to use most of her attacks in this form without it. The Rend Brace's attack is the Tethys Cutter, a long blade of watery energy. Also, getting its powers from the element of water, this form is especially agile if Tarock has to fight underwater.

Wands Form, in blue, has the greatest speed but lacks the most in strength and toughness of any of her forms. Its related element is fire. Her weapon in this form is the Pyre Brand, a metal wand that can be used to channel her stronger fiery attacks or lengthen into a staff. In this form the Rend Brace can be used to perform the Zure Divide, which creates illusory duplicates. Being in this form allows Tarock to use short bursts of super speed with its Mag Step power. Her top speed is unknown. While exceptionally versatile, the powers of this form are even more exhausting to Liss than her others because they're a constant drain on her while in use. Used wisely it can be one of her most formidable powersets, but used impulsively it can quickly leave her vulnerable.

To put it in more familiar terms, Swords is Mighty, Pentacles is Titan, Cups is Pegasus, and Wands is Dragon.

And before anyone thinks it, no I did not just take the colors from Wizard and mix them up. I actually based the colors on a tarot villain team from the old Villains & Vigilantes RPG. A scan is up on Tarock's page at Spectrum of Madness, along with lists of Arcana and Mythos to help everybody keep everything straight.

Anybody catch the reference to Rider lore in the order Liss got her cards, by the way? It's easy.

Things are going to settle down for just a little bit in the wake of this chapter. Obviously it's going to be a while before Liss is up for anymore fights, anyway, but that gives me a chance to show some other stuff. Hope you're enjoying the story so far, because it gets even more intense before long.


	10. Chapter 10: Diversions

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Ten: Diversions

So Far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by a resurgence monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

But as she battled the Mythos and searched for the special cards that were the keys to unlocking each of Tarock's special powers, Liss found her self-righteousness shaken by the gratitude of the beleaguered people of the Sphere. After joining forces with Ven and Donis, two warriors appointed to hunt her down by hostile Arcana, to defeat an exceptionally powerful monster, Liss is injured and taken to the city of Mazones to find help. As Mazones is home to the Arcana most bent on her destruction, she runs a terrible risk…

Author's Note: Before we begin, there isn't going to be much fighting in this chapter. Just to give you a head's up.

* * *

><p>It seemed as if Liss had been running across the blasted ruins of the city from the hordes of Mythos forever as she took cover, hoping for just a few minutes of safety to think of a way to escape.<p>

She ran to a barn that was still standing and climbed to the loft to hide. It had all been pointless. All of it. She'd found all of Tarock's special cards, reached the zenith of her powers. When she'd accomplished that she'd been sure she'd be ready for anything the Sphere could throw at her. Oh, how wrong someone could be. They were right behind her, and they were too powerful for anyone, or anything. And she knew deep down inside they'd never stop with the Sphere when they took over the Sphere…

"Here's our little lost sheep!" a mocking voice cackled. Liss swore she'd only blinked, but there right behind her was the woman from the crypt. White dress, white hair, ivory white skin. The only break were those evil red eyes with yellow irises, that seemed to ripple around the edges.

Giant hands thrust through the ceiling of the barn and tore it away. Ten huge Mythos she couldn't recognize against the darkness loomed over Liss and the White Lady. "Come with us, child!" the lady laughed. "You think you're powerful now, that a few victories makes you the bane of my existence? My powers are boundless, my servants without number!"

The Mythos reached into the barn for Liss, and all of a sudden she could see herself from the outside somehow. They weren't grasping for a young woman, strong and defiant. Standing there in the loft of the barn was a wailing seven-year-old girl in pink pajamas, her dark hair up in pigtails.

* * *

><p>There was a feeling of cold on Liss shoulder's so intense it seemed to burn and she sat up in alarm expecting to see the ugly faces of a gang of Mythos. Instead she was on a bed in a stone room with a softly glowing lantern sitting on a table next to her. Leaning against the foot of the bed was a girl Liss's age with pale orange hair. She'd been asleep but stirred when Liss jostled the bed from waking up so abruptly, and smiled.<p>

"You're awake!" the girl said. "Thank goodness…we thought for sure Master Mortis would come for you you first."

"Who?" Liss rasped, her throat dry.

"Master Mortis. The one who gathers the souls of the departed." She gave Liss a quizzical look.

"Guess I'm more out of it than I thought," Liss replied, and the girl nodded. "Could I get some water?" The girl nodded and poured Liss some water from a pitcher, which she drank without thinking much on the mild relief it provided.

"You sound familiar," Liss said. "Were you the one who found me after I fell?"

"Yes, that was me and my father," the girl explained. "I'm sorry we had to keep you here. We tried to take you to a treatment center, but as soon as you were stable they said you had to recover somewhere else. Too many people are hurt by Mythos attacks already."

"That's…okay," Liss said. She didn't want to spend much time anywhere with a lot of people around who might be looking for someone matching her description. "I'm Liss." Hadn't she heard that was a pretty common name in the Sphere?

The girl nodded. "That's a pretty name. I'm Rexia."

"Nice to meet you, Rexia," Liss said and tried to climb out of the bed, but her body seized up in pain and she collapsed back down.

"You can't try to move by yourself yet!" Rexia cried. "You'll open the wounds again!"

A few minutes later the pain subsided and Liss was able to breathe normally. "How long was I out?" she gasped as she stared at the ceiling.

"About four days," Rexia answered, biting her lip.

Four days. That was less than Liss had expected, but she was clearly not going to be up for being Tarock again for a while. And hanging around hostile territory too banged up to fight wasn't a prospect she was looking forward to.

What about Jack and Shardak? Had Shift Runner gone to find them and let them know, as best a metal horse could, that she was still alive and where she was? Would Jack come to find her, or would they take the Fate Driver she'd given her mount in order to keep from being caught with it in enemy territory, and find a new Tarock? She had done all the work retrieving all the form cards already…

Which she had sort of expected. Liss wasn't the best at respecting authority or following orders, and she wasn't one of their people. The only reason they'd considered her was they were desperate. If she didn't come back, what would keep them from finding a new Tarock?

But what else? She'd been gone for nearly a week. What if another Mythos had shown up back on Earth? What if they went straight for Paige, since they probably knew who Tarock was? Or had the vampire monster reported back? God, how did it work…?

"Are you all right, Liss?" Rexia interrupted her. "You look troubled."

"There's the understatement of the century," Liss said. "Wondering about what the Mythos are doing."

"They seem braver every time," Rexia sighed. "We're lucky to have Empress Maeve and the other Arcana looking out for us."

So not just Thena and her boss, but a whole bunch of Arcana who wanted to rip her apart. And she was stuck in a place that one of the top two targets for Mythos monsters. "Yeah, lucky," Liss muttered.

Rexia lightly pressed Liss back into the sheets. "Don't worry, you're safe here."

"Just me," Liss said. "Everyone else I know is out there. They probably don't even know Mythos might come for them."

Rexia nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. But what were you doing that got you hurt so badly in the first place?"

"I was…," Liss started then paused, considering how much to reveal. "I was trying to find something I hoped would be an advantage fighting the Mythos. But one of them got me pretty good."

"Oh?" Rexia asked. "Did you find it?"

"I don't really know yet," Liss replied, thinking on what she'd found in that tomb besides the Card of Wands. She'd found a Mythos that'd changed into a giant after his death. She'd found the crystal showing her the White Lady escaping her confinement. And there had been the strange, seemingly alive shape that had made sure she'd found both. What had that been? "I guess I'll get a chance to find out when I can go find it."

Rexia poured another glass of water and left it on Liss's bedside table for her. "Right now, just try to get some rest," she said with a smile. "But call if you need anything." Liss nodded, and shut her eyes.

With a last look back at their guest, Rexia descended the stairs into the house's front room. Her father, Karam, was seated in his favorite chair while he watched another chapter of Mevar's Madness, the image being projected in the air in front of him from the crystal reader. He laughed at the comedy program, which Rexia had never understood the appeal of, but in times like these she supposed a brief escape from the threat of the Mythos was worth a few coins. Rexia walked into the kitchen and turned down the oven, scowling a little. Smelled like he'd let the stew get overdone while watching his recording.

After a bit the show ended and Karam waved his hand in front of the crystal leaned against the wall to switch it off. "Dinner's overdone," Rexia informed, a terse edge to her voice.

"I'm sorry, I got a little distracted," Karam said. "There's no reason to talk like that about it, though."

She sighed and got out a pair of bowls she set on the kitchen table. "I'm just a little tired of spending all day in the house waiting on someone. Our guest woke up by the way," Rexia said, ladling the slightly overcooked stew into a the bowls "She told me her name's Liss."

Her father sat down across from her. "Your mother will be relieved to hear that when she returns from patrol, I'm sure. Did she say anything about how she came to be outside the gates in such a state?" he asked.

"Yes. She said she'd been looking for something she hoped would help fight the Mythos. They got her pretty badly."

Rexia's father shook his head. "There's no need for children your age to go risking your lives so recklessly. Things aren't that different, even now."

That made Rexia grimace. "I'm not a little girl anymore, father."

"Of course you aren't," he said apologetically. "But it's dangerous enough here where we have high walls and strong protectors. Who does going out and walking straight into the Mythos' jaws help?"

"No one, papa."

He patted her on the shoulder. "Besides, it'll probably do you some good to have someone your own age around again. When was the last time you and your friends went out and did anything together?"

"About six attacks ago, papa," Rexia answered.

" 'Six attacks ago'? By the Empress, is that how you're thinking of it now?" Karam sighed. "You're too young to be that jaded! Think about, Rexi. Please."

"I guess you're right, papa," Rexia replied, distantly. As she said it, Rexia couldn't help sparing a glance upward, to where the refugee they'd taken in rested. And thinking of what else this Liss might have to say when she had the strength.

* * *

><p>Her alarm hadn't even gone off yet but Sue Gand was already out of the shower and looking halfway presentable. It was a Saturday, but Sue didn't mind not getting to sleep in; she'd found an angle to pursue on the story while waiting for Liss Decker to show her face again, and wasn't going to miss it.<p>

After she polished off her morning coffee Sue flopped onto the bed to wait. She thought about checking the news, but thought otherwise. She was here to report on something huge, and wanted to make sure she stayed focused on that. At least until that night when she'd finished recording what she'd found out during the day.

There was a knock on her door, and she looked through the peephole to see a broad-shouldered black man with a bald head standing outside. "Come on in," Sue said and opened the door, but he stayed outside.

"Naw, got class to teach. We'll talk about whatever you want after that," he said. Then he turned around and walked down the hall without waiting.

Ah yes, she had wanted to see the class he taught to wring anything she could out of him about Decker's past. Do a little research on her sources to determine which ones had the most to tell. Yes, Sue thought as she watched his muscles ripple through the back of his tank top. Research.

He kept waving off any attempts at questioning Sue made while they walked to an old, two-story brick building. Hanging over the double doors in the front was an old light-up sign, currently dark, reading Angelo's Dragon Academy. Hanging in the windows were a few faded posters of Sue's escort in a gi and black belt, with dates of tournaments. The most recent was over a year and a half ago.

"So Mr. Bell-" Sue began.

"Angelo," he interrupted. He unlocked the doors and went inside, and Sue followed. Inside the large front room was a fairly standard-seeming training room, with large tumbling mats leaned against the wall and a pair of punching bags in the far corner. A stack of square foam pads sat beside them. "I need to change, but I'll be back down in a minute. You go ahead and find a good place to sit." He disappeared up a staircase at the back of the room, and Sue could hear a door close and lock.

So Sue sat herself down by one of the walls inspected the room again, seeing nothing different this time. She'd never taken a martial arts class in her life, and had never stuck around when she'd been roped into driving her nephew to his. Even to her this one seemed neglected, almost unhappy. God, if that wasn't a stupid cliché.

A few minutes later a black girl, about fourteen, came down the stairs wearing a gi tied with a yellow belt. She went to the middle of the room and squatted down, staring at the far wall, at the staircase where she'd just come down. The girl gave Sue a sidelong glance, but returned to staring at the wall as the front door opened. Four other kids walked in and took a seat in a row next to the first girl and not saying a word. Within twenty minutes, there were twelve kids squatting in two neat rows. They were all between the ages of ten and fourteen, and none made a peep. In fact, they all sat up ramrod straight when they heard the door at the top of the stairs open and, slowly, footsteps descended them. Angelo appeared at the back of the room, wearing a gi fastened with a black belt.

"Good morning," he bellowed.

"Good morning, sensei," the students chorused.

Angelo turned his back to the class and opened his jacket. A livid scar of three jagged lines ran from his right shoulder, down his back at an angle before disappearing in the waist of his pants. "This is proof there's danger in the world," Angelo said. "I was given these by a giant bat working for a group called Gorgom. They wouldn't settle for anything less than enslaving the entire world. They were powerful, and they were ruthless, but there was someone who had the courage to fight them wherever he found them. He was called the Black Sun.

"And we've all heard about monsters in our town. But there's someone brave enough to go up against them now, too. She was a student of mine once, but maybe Miss Gand here can tell you more than I can about what she's like now," Angelo said, and indicated Sue with a sweep of his arm. Sue couldn't help it, but she blanched. Her understanding had been she'd watch the class, because Angelo wasn't interested in talking to her if she wasn't as dedicated to her craft as he was to his, even if that meant getting up at the crack of dawn and not getting a chance to talk until after his class. Nothing about her being brought in as a guest speaker.

But the kids all turned to face her, looking at her with silent expectation. Sue was used to having time to go over and polish her words before submitting them, but she thought fast.

"She's called Tarock. I don't know all the details yet, I've only been there once, but her powers come from another world, one called the Sphere. The monsters come from there too, and they're called the Mythos.

"The Mythos are strong. Extremely strong. I saw one with my own eyes that was forty feet tall and fought off Tarock and a giant made of stone at the same time. She beat it, but it was close. That's why she's there right now, finding all the special powers she needs to fight more of them. I'm sure it isn't easy, but she doesn't look like the type to back down from anything."

Angelo nodded with a small smile as he put his jacket back on and tied his belt around his waist again. "Think on that, you all. Someone cares about this little town of ours enough to fight monsters for it. Now," he said, all traces of mirth vanishing. "somebody go grab some pads and I'll show you what we'll be practicing today."

So saying, Angelo demonstrated a kick while a student held up a pair of square foam pads for him as a target. After he'd done it a few times the students broke into groups and started practicing the move themselves. Angelo himself came over to watch beside Sue. "Two weeks ago, I only had two kids in my class and one was my daughter," he said, smiling a little proudly.

"And this all happened after Tarock had her first fights," Sue said. "You think that's why attendance is up, huh?"

"I'm hoping that's why attendance is up," he replied. "Humanity's a weird animal. It's so easy for us to slip into being afraid, only looking out for number one. But if we can shake that off, we can do incredible things."

Sue looked him over appraisingly, more deeply than she had when she'd failed to pry answers about Liss Decker from him before. He seemed much as he had then, a man of strength, of a degree of bravery. But now there seemed a quiet conviction about him as well. "And you think Liss Decker's like that?" Sue asked. "Most people I've been asking don't think much of her as a student, or a member of society."

Angelo smirked ever so slightly. "I suppose they were always a straight-A student who never talked back to their parents either. 'Sides, it's hard to keep listening to people in charge when the ones closest to you do something like shut someone out of their lives just because of being something they can't help. That's some pretty astounding ignorance, wouldn't you say, Miss Gand?"

"I'm here to report, not condemn," Sue answered.

He nodded. "That's dedication to your craft."

For another hour and a half the kids practiced a series of moves for a while until Angelo told them to practice something else they'd gone over last session or a new move they hadn't seen. By the time 8:45 had rolled around, Angelo told the class to break for an hour and they gushed out of the building. Sue got up onto her sore legs and walked up to Angelo, hoping for some answers now.

"Kind of early for a kung-fu class to start, isn't it?" she couldn't help making her first question.

"I'm not looking for kids whose moms just want them to be in some kind of activity," Angelo answered. "If seven's too early for them I've got better things to do with my time."

"And once upon a time, seven wasn't too early for Liss Decker, sounds like."

Angelo didn't respond right away. First he stood up, faced away from Sue, and then launched into a series of backflips that took him to the far end of the building. He clenched his fists and winced in pain for a second then turned to Sue. "Once upon a time, yeah. Until about…two years ago, was it? That was when she stopped coming. Before then, she was here every Saturday and three afternoons during the week. I'd be lying if I said she was the brightest prospect I ever saw, but she was on her way when she stopped coming. That was when the problems at home started, I'm to understand."

Sue jotted down a few reminders. "But before that, good enough kid, you'd say?

"Not exactly up for a peace prize, but didn't duck out of school or fight with her folks that I knew. Usually happy to help the other kids practice or help with a move she'd figured out but they were still trying to figure out," Angelo said, folding his arms across his chest. "Good enough kid, I guess."

"I see," Sue said. She tapped her pen against her chin thoughtfully. "But you hadn't seen her at all in all that time, except when those two attacked her and you helped?"

Angelo shook his head. "The dedication has to come from the student. Doesn't mean anything if I go to their house and try to talk 'em into coming back to class. Number one tenet."

"Okay, okay, sorry. But you really think she's fighting for the reasons you told those kids?" Sue asked.

He nodded solemnly at the question. "I'm in the habit of believing the greatest things we can imagine are possible, if we can conquer those impulses of ours. And I don't think Liss Decker would've put on that suit and fought those monsters if she was only thinking of herself. Not if the Liss Decker I knew was totally gone."

"Oh, wow!" Sue chuckled, resting her head against one hand. "A disciplined optimist. Where have you been all my life?"

"I've got two kids, you know," he replied. But for just a second, it looked like Angelo cracked a smirk.

* * *

><p>It was good to see the sun again, even if it wasn't the sun she was used to.<p>

A crude wooden crutch braced Liss under her right arm as she tried to walk down to the end of the street where Rexia was waiting for her, ignoring the noise from the car-like vehicles that buzzed by. The pain in her side wasn't as bad as when she'd first woken up in Mazones, but Liss was still clenching her teeth and trying to ignore it as she limped down the street.

How long had it even been since Liss had found herself in Rexia's bedroom? A week? A week and a half? At least she was starting to move again. That was a huge relief, not being stuck in a bed all day and all night, letting her injuries stitch themselves closed. Liss gritted her teeth and tried to just focus on how close she was getting to where Rexia was waiting.

"You're doing great, Liss!" Rexia called, smiling.

"I can't believe I need to learn how to walk all over again," Liss grunted, but a few more steps took her to Rexia's side.

Rexia clapped her on the shoulder. "Maybe that's the risk you run going after the Mythos."

"I'm not scared of them."

"The shape you're in, you should be worried more about small children," Rexia smiled jokingly. "Come on, it's not that much farther to where my father has his shop."

"Your dad, huh?" Liss asked. "What about like, your friends? I'm not keeping you away from them with all the babysitting you're doing, am I?"

Rexia shook her head. "Nobody's really felt like doing anything since the attacks started. I don't suppose I blame them."

Liss shook her head. "Isn't anyone doing anything about this besides me?"

For a while Rexia walked slowly so Liss could keep up, and as they went Liss looked up at the rooftops and the palace that seemed to fill the sky beyond them. Inside, she had no doubt, were the Arcana who oversaw this city. And the ones who most wanted to see her wiped out for something a whole other Tarock had done.

Not having her powers at hand made Liss uneasy, but Mazones would go insane if any trace of Tarock was found. She felt she was pushing her luck far enough staying with Rexia, since Rexia's mother was a city guard. No problems had arisen from that, obviously, and Liss's face wasn't black and blue enough to fool anyone who had a good description of her anymore. Maybe Ven and Donis hadn't managed to get one.

All at once Rexia started walking faster. Liss tried to call out in protest until she saw why. In front of a low building that reminded her a little of her older sister's auto repair place, Rexia's father was being yelled at by a heavyset man in dark shirt, pants and boots. Beside him on the ground were the remains of what looked like a car's axle. Rexia's dad fixed those for a living, she'd said.

"…not paying these kinds of prices for this kind of workmanship!" the heavyset man yelled. "I demand back what I gave you for this!"

"Papa, what's going on?" Rexia asked when she reached her father's side. He patted her calmingly on the shoulders.

"It's all right, sweetie. Mister Gruul's rear axle broke right after I fixed it, and he's a little unhappy about it," Karam explained.

Gruul grimaced. "Unhappy?! It broke clean in half two days later!"

Liss cleared her throat, and the three of them looked over where the remains of part Gruul was complaining about rested. She'd lowered herself and was inspecting the split. "Clean, huh? Looks like-"

"Get away from that!" Gruul snapped and stomped a step closer to Liss, but Karam grabbed his shoulder.

"I hope you're not planning to attack a disabled girl like it looks," Karam growled. "If you are, you can forget about anything you think I owe you." Gruul scowled and jerked away, but stayed where he was.

She glared lightly at them but ran her finger over the shorn edge of the metal on one part. "Look at this. See how the metal's been caved in right next to the split. It's been smashed down by something like a big hammer. Roll those two halves together and I bet you'd find one big dent."

Gruul snarled, and Liss smirked up at him. She made a show of standing up painfully and bracing herself on her crutch. Meanwhile, Rexia's father held the two edges of the snapped axle together and inspected the damage Liss had pointed out. "Well, looks like this had some help breaking, doesn't it?" he announced. "And I might have an idea who that help was, with the way you didn't want anyone taking a close look at the damage…Thank you for your custom, Gruul, but I won't be needing it anymore."

For a second Gruul looked stunned, then pointed his finger and yelled at Karam as he walked back into the shop. "Don't you turn your back on me! You have any idea the kinds of people who owe me favors?!" While he continued to hurl invective at her father, Rexia's throat went dry as she saw Liss actually take a step closer to Gruul and then slowly _slip a hand inside his pocket_. Liss drew it out again clenching something and surreptitiously put it in her own pocket without Gruul noticing, then limped away.

Rexia ran after her and gasped out, "Are you out of your mind?! He would've smashed you, no matter what my father said!"

"I had to see if I was getting rusty," Liss said, and glanced over her shoulder as a pair of city guards walked up to Karam's shop, and Gruul suddenly turned and walked away in a hurry. Liss went around a corner with Rexia still beside her, and once she was sure there were no guards in sight pulled a handful of coins out of her pocket. "Not bad," she mused.

"Not bad? That has to be at least three hundred diam!" Rexia said.

"I'll take your word for it," Liss said, having no idea what three hundred diam would get her.

It took a minute for Rexia to get completely over the shock of what Liss had done. Once she had, she looked at Liss with a bit of apprehension, then asked, "How much _did_ you get?" Liss handed her the money and Rexia's eyes went wide as she counted them up. "I was wrong. There's not three hundred. Three hundred sixty-eight...by the Empress, where did you learn how to pick pockets?"  
>"So you're not turning me in?" Liss said, smiling teasingly at her.<p>

Rexia gave her a bemused look, then smiled softly. "Not if you answer my question."

They walked for a while until they got to a quiet street, and Liss quietly said, "It started about a year and a half ago, I guess. I really looked up to my older sister, but then our parents found out she was having a relationship with another girl, and they kicked her out of the family. I just kind of stopped listening to them, and then a while after that I just stopped listening to the rules much. Little stuff, then it got bigger. I haven't lost my touch from lying in bed, looks like."

A few more minutes passed while they walked in silence. There was a distant look in Rexia's eyes as she stared away from Liss. Seemingly out of nowhere Rexia said, "I'm sorry."

Liss looked back at her as they walked, saying nothing for a while. Then she asked, "You want to see how much we can turn this into?"

* * *

><p>After dinner Liss and Rexia did a few laps around the house to help Liss practice being on her feet a little more. The pain was a little less intense than it had been that morning, which had Liss trying to get an idea of how soon she might be completely recovered, but also how soon she'd be healed enough just to think about getting out of town. Rexia's mom had joined them for dinner, and while she hadn't acted suspiciously, Liss was doubting her decision to show off her less wholesome skills in front of Rexia. What if she told her mother, a city guard? What if word trickled down about this particular Liss being Public Enemy #1?<p>

But Liss looked over at Rexia, who looked back at her curiously. "Liss?" she asked. "Why did you steal from Gruul right in front of me? You knew my mother's on the guard and how easily you could've gotten arrested."

Liss nodded. "I didn't think you'd mind much since he was trying to rip your dad off. Besides, when I was stuck in the house and you had to take care of me you always seemed kind of annoyed and restless. I figured maybe you were hoping for something more exciting, so I took that little gamble of mine."

Rexia gaped. "Little gamble? You must be used to making pretty big ones if pickpocketing a crazy man like Gruul's little to you!"

"Hey, I was trying to do something about the Mythos when I got like this. That's pretty big, isn't it?" Liss said defensively.

Slowly Rexia smiled. "I guess it is, but the Arcana are here to-"

"They're only defending their cities." Liss interrupted. "But how is that gonna stop the Mythos? They just gonna wait until there's no more monsters to attack them? Or are they maybe gonna try to find where the monsters come from and do something about it?"

Silence fell over them. Liss noticed she had that effect on people when she actually spoke her mind a long time ago. Rexia looked at her in shock before whispering, "You might want to be careful who you say such things to, Liss."

"Stealing's okay, but you gonna turn me in over being unhappy with the job the Arcana are doing?" Liss said, not budging an inch.

"I'm _saying_ there's a great many people in Mazones who'd end your life for speaking out against our ruler and her closest aides," Rexia whispered angrily. "Especially with the Mythos back and attacking us again."

Liss looked her straight in the eye. "And what about _you_, Rexi? Do _you_ think the Arcana are the only ones who can do a damn thing to protect _you_? Will _you_ be okay just sitting at home waiting for things to take care of themselves?"

Again, silence. Liss started around the next corner of the house, going faster than Rexia had seen her manage yet. She was even putting a little weight on her sore leg every step. Rexia jogged after her and followed beside her for a few steps and then gave an exasperated sigh. "…maybe I don't see how one girl can do anything against a ravening monster twice her size. And did you call me Rexi? Only my parents did that, when I was a little girl."

"Maybe you should, and maybe I did," Liss replied. "If you don't want me staying at your place anymore, fine."

A hand clamped onto Liss's shoulder and held her in place. She looked around and met Rexia's eyes, which were narrowed in irritation. "I didn't say anything like that, Liss! Do you have to be so sure of yourself you're even putting words in my mouth?"

That got a little laugh out of Liss, and she gently tugged free. "I'm just saying I wouldn't blame you, but think on it, Rexi. About what's happening while everybody's letting the Arcana sit around defending the walls. And we gonna do something with this money or what?"

She looked back at Rexia, who shuffled her feet uncertainly, then looked up at Liss and smiled lightly. There was a reluctance in her eyes, but her posture was steady and upright. Rexia wanted to take that step, Liss was sure, but didn't say anything to push her any closer to a decision. Everyone did that to Liss, she wasn't about to be the one to do it to someone else.

Finally Rexia smiled and said, "Yes. Let's hear your plan."

* * *

><p>Jack was still searching for an ideal word to describe his situation, but the one that kept coming to mind was <em>vulnerable<em>. He'd always been sure there were forces powerful enough to claim even the life of an Arcanum, and known it since Knight Duric's death was revealed to the Sphere.

Indeed, the death of an Arcanum was the only reason they knew that Master Mortis existed at all. Jack himself had been observing when Tarock brought Duric down, and the skeletal figure appeared to claim the defeated's soul. And later Mortis had appeared again when Telia had been slain by a Mythos. That had been what had finally fractured the great empire…or had it? So much had happened in the final days of the first uprising of the Mythos…

But he let such thoughts pass. These were dangerous times, but Jack had no intention of dying. He had _changed_, that was all. Become something new, found a new facet of the never-ending journey of life to explore. And was that not what life was all about, after all?

Jack felt a gathering energy nearby and steadied himself to be able to continue his concentration on his efforts. In the air beside him formed a translucent image of an old, bearded face. "Hello again, my old friend," Jack said. "Come to try to talk me out of it again?"

"I just want you to think about what you're doing," Shardak said. "The plan was always risky to some degree, but this-"

"Has Liss responded to any of your calls, yet?" Jack interrupted.

"No…if she's still alive, she's lost the Fate Driver. I can't find or reach her," Shardak replied.

Jack nodded. "Then we are in need of another envoy and this is our most viable option. Besides, power is worthless if only horded or flaunted. I'm no soldier, but this way I can contribute something more than running back and forth."

There was a momentary tingle telling Jack another of his constructs had been destroyed. His new protégé was going through them more quickly than he'd expected. It indicated either proficiency, or unchecked recklessness. Still, he reminded himself, this was for a good cause and they were, after all, hoping to foster growth in those whose paths they crossed.

He pondered a few new shapes he might try. Gryphons had always been one of Jack's favorite creatures, majestic and powerful at once. The image took shape in his mind, with the lion-like body with the head and wings of a regal, golden-feathered bird. Jack was about to push the spark of life into the image when he felt someone landing from a jump right behind him.

"Looks like I win," he said.

Jack smiled and didn't turn around. "Do you?" Then suddenly a gryphon was between them, rearing on its hind legs and slashing at Jack's assailant with the bird-like talons on its front. "Perhaps after you learn to expect the unexpected."

The gryphon lunged at Jack's attacker, who jumped back and rolled out of the way. It chased after him, stabbing at his heart with its beak and grabbing at him with its claws when he rolled away and got to his feet.

But the gryphon pressed its attack, splaying its wings and launching itself at him. He jumped high out of its way, turned in midair and aimed his weapon at the gryphon's back. "Heart Seeker!" he said, and a glistening silver arrow ripped from the tip and pierced the gryphon. It didn't even cry out before it shattered into pieces.

And to Jack's satisfaction, his looked around for a new threat as he landed in time to see the two-legged white tiger to attack.

* * *

><p>The room seemed to spin around her. Rexia had gone over Liss's plan again and again. She knew every contingency, had been given days to understand the implications of what Liss had suggested.<p>

For several days Liss had been up to walking around normally again. She'd gone out every day since she could walk without a crutch, but insisted on going out alone. After the second day, she'd explained what she'd been doing to Rexia, and asked if she'd be interested in helping.

At first Rexia had refused, but Liss hadn't pressed it and left to let her think it over. And as she did, Rexia thought more and more about how she _did _want to go along with Liss's suggestion, and do something more than sit around waiting for something to happen.

She'd said yes, and they'd started to plan.

"You okay?" Liss asked. She was folding up her coat and riding gloves and left them under the bed. They made her stand out too much and seem too confident, she said, which would ruin their plans. The dark circles from dreams she refused to talk about helped the illusion…

"I'm not sure," Rexia answered her. "I've never done this kind of thing before."

Liss nodded. "And if you don't want to, I'll leave," she said. I'll be all right on my own now."

Quickly, Rexia shook her head. "Anything's better than being stuck in here waiting."

"Anything?" Liss said with a knowing smile

Rexia smiled a little herself. "Well, almost anything. What did you call it…hustling? That doesn't sound as bad as some things."

One of Liss's strong hands clasped her shoulder. "Games are all about tricking and outthinking people. Otherwise it's all random, and you might as well have them stand in a circle and spin a pencil on the ground or some shit to see who wins. There are way, way worse things we could be doing."

A thought crossed Rexia's mind at what Liss had just said, and what she'd done that had gotten her hurt in the first place. "Would you do worse things than trick people in a game?" she asked.

Liss looked at Rexia in surprise for a second, then looked away. "If I really, really had to, maybe."

They kept walking for half an hour until they got to a fairly large square full of shops and market stalls, and people selling things off the backs of trucks. Liss passed it by without paying it any mind, and Rexia followed apprehensively. Her throat tightened as she saw Liss's eyes light up. She'd found what they were looking for: a small group of twenty-something young men squatting in a circle in an alley off the square. They were fixated on a game where they shuffled inscribed stones around. Rexia recognized it; it was called Waira, but she didn't much else besides the name.

As unobtrusively as possible, Liss at Rexia and whispered. "Remember, you let me know if anyone tries anything, right? Or if any guards come. That's it."

"I know," Rexia said, her throat suddenly dry.

Liss nodded, and whispered. "I'm counting on you." Then she walked over to the group and asked, "Hey, guys! Room for one more?"

One of them stood up and smiled. "Hey, Liss! You're finally here to play, huh?"

She held up a large blue coin. The men grinned among themselves, and one waved Liss over. In spite of everything Liss had spent days teaching her about being inconspicuous, Rexia bit her lip nervously.

So it began. For the better part of an hour, Liss sat as part of the group and in turn they'd rearrange the tiles into sequences that that made no sense to Rexia. The other players smiled and laughed as Liss made what appeared to be a good move and collected a small portion of the pot they were playing for. Several times in a row one of the men took a fistful off the pot, but Rexia forced herself to devote most of her attention to noting what went on around them.

None of the other players seemed suspicious of Rexia as she lounged against a wall just outside the alley, or anyone going about their business in the square. Eventually she spotted a pair of armed guards on patrol, and coughed loudly while twirling a lock of her hair, the signal Liss had told her to give. Liss made some excuse, pocketed her winnings and walked briskly to the edge of the alley. Rexia followed and got out a bag Liss had asked her to bring after they'd passed the guards without incident. Liss turned, smiled and emptied her pockets into the bag.

The weight of the bag seemed unreal. Rexia tied it up and handed it to Liss, who heaved it onto her shoulder. "You really won that much?" Rexia asked, still in disbelief at what they'd done.

"I might've been able to get a little more, but they were starting to get suspicious," Liss said, smiling proudly all the same. "Gotta know when to push your luck and when not to."

Rexia nodded, but looked away. "So…is this it, then?"

"I can't wait much longer," Liss said. "Thanks. I'm grateful and everything, but I gotta get back out there. But let me ask _you_ something: you thinking twice about how smart it was being my eyes back there?"

At that, Rexia laughed. Nervously, but it changed to a light, carefree laugh, and she turned to look at Liss with twinkling eyes and a light smile on her lips. "It was…definitely a new experience for me. But that doesn't mean it was a bad one."

"Just because it wasn't a bad one doesn't mean it was a good one," Liss pointed out.

Rexia gave her a playful shove. "It was good, Liss. Thank you for taking me out of comfort zone for a day. Just don't expect me to be your lookout if you rob someone's shop."

With a shake of her head and a playful smile Liss said, "I don't need that kind of practice." They stopped outside Rexia's house, and suddenly Liss thrust the bag with the money into Rexia's hands. "Call up some of your old friends and do something wild."

Rexia sputtered. "Does this mean…?" she asked, not needing to finish. Liss nodded.

"Time for me to go find my little advantage and see if I can do anything about the Mythos with it after all."

Not quite believing what she was hearing, Rexia followed Liss inside the house where she retrieved her coat and gloves. "But…but you're just _leaving_?" Rexia spluttered.

Liss finished tying off her gloves and stood up. "I'm not just gonna sit on my ass and hope the problem goes away like the Arcana here. It's been cool hanging out with you, but the longer I'm here, well, the longer I'm here not getting things done out there."

Rexia looked away and clutched the bag to her chest as Liss finished getting ready to go. "So you're just going to go out there and fight every single Mythos monster yourself, then, Liss?" she asked quietly.

There was no reply. For a minute Rexia thought Liss was just ignoring the question, but then she looked up and saw Liss leaning against the wall, clutching her left arm and squeezing her eyes shut in pain.

The bag hit the floor and Rexia rushed to Liss's side. "What's wrong?! Did something happen?"

"Yes," Liss gasped. "Something's about to attack."

Rexia stared into her eyes. "How do you know?"

* * *

><p>Moments before, a guard standing on the city wall stopped in the middle of his patrol. From over a hill stumbled the figure of a person. They stumbled and fell, but desperately pushed themselves up and ran toward the Mazones perimeter on trembling legs.<p>

The hair on the guard's neck raised in uneasiness. "Halt!" he called. The figure didn't halt. In fact he stopped stumbling and broke into a run. The guard was about to sound the alarm when the intruder produced a gleaming curved knife from inside his clothes, and plunged it into his heart.

He slumped forward dead and a pool of blood seeped out from his body. Thick, black blood. The alarm was just starting to blare when the black pool under the man started to boil upward and harden. Within moments it had vwxinw a monstrous from whose head was as tall as the fifteen foot wall. He had cracked gray-green skin, and a single huge, blood-red eye in his head.

In one giant hand was a bone club that looked like it had come from the back leg of some kind of dinosaur. The Mythos raised his weapon and then brought it down on the wall, on top of the terrified guard who'd seen him.

* * *

><p>The entire city seemed to shake every few seconds, but still Liss ran down the stairs. Rexia chased after her and grabbed her by the arm just as she got through the front door. "If a Mythos attacks we're supposed to stay indoors!" Rexia cried.<p>

Liss jerked free and looked up over the rooftops at the Cyclops that was pounding on the walls with his club and had already knocked a hole in it as deep as his waist. She could see blue sparks as the city guard tried to fend him off with their weapons, but the monster was unaffected.

Over his shoulder another Mythos came flying over the wall. It had huge dark wings and a long beak…or was it a nose? It flew in a circle and then a small tornado went ripping through a row of house. Two balls of energy, white and black, came flying into view and attacked the flying Mythos. Ven and Donis were on the scene, but who was dealing with the Cyclops?

Liss shut her eyes and despite all the noise and shaking, she concentrated as hard as she could on five simple words.

_Shift Runner, I need you_.

Again everything shook from a titanic blow from the Cyclops's club, and the Mythos roared triumphantly.

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Liss: Looks like you'll get to see how I'll stop the Mythos after all.

(Tarock in her Swords Form fights back against the giant Cyclops)

Thena: There's no escape for you this time, Tarock!

(In her Wands Form Tarock battles Thena, Ven and Donis at the same time)

Jack: It seems a new era is dawning…

(A figure in green armor fires a silver arrow at a hulking Mythos)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	11. Chapter 11: Enemy at the Gates

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Eleven: Enemy at the Gates

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

But as she battled the Mythos and searched for the special cards that were the keys to unlocking each of Tarock's special powers, Liss found her self-righteousness shaken by the gratitude of the beleaguered people of the Sphere. After being wounded by a giant Mythos, Liss was forced to travel to the city of Mazones to recover. Home to the Arcana most convinced that Tarock is a danger to them, Liss was eager to escape as soon as she'd recovered. However she found an unlikely friend in Rexia, a girl eager to escape the monotony of constantly having to hide in her home because of Mythos attacks.

Just as Liss announced her intention to leave to Rexia, it came under attack by a huge Cyclops Mythos, and Liss prepares to reveal her secret to her new friend…

* * *

><p>Author's Note: There was no fighting last chapter, but there's a whole lot in this one, kinda to make up for it I guess. :3 This is also the end of the first arc, and there's a fair bit that happens.<p>

* * *

><p>The doors to Thena's chambers rattled on their hinges as another tremor ran throughout the city. She finished buckling on her armor with all the efficiency centuries of practice and supernatural speed could provide.<p>

The doors flew open and suddenly and Thena rushed to don her helmet. "My lady!" a serving maiden called. "A Mythos is at the gates and no one can find Empress Maeve!"

"Important business has taken her out of Mazones," Thena replied right before another shock ran through, and her mirror split down the middle. It was just as well. "But I am on my way." She ran to the window and took a flying leap over the rooftops.

* * *

><p>It felt like the entire world was being shaken apart.<p>

The Mythos was pounding on the wall with his bone club and wrecking ball-like fist while Liss watched from what at the moment was a safe distance, but in under a minute he'd have smashed a hole wide enough to push through the city wall. Rexia grabbed Liss's arm and tried to pull her back inside, but Liss dug her feet in. If she let Rexia pull her inside to whatever safety that might promise, she'd miss it when Shift Runner appeared.

If that would even be in time…

"Liss!" Rexia screamed. "What do you think you can possibly do against that?!" She pulled harder but Liss was stronger and easily pulled away.

Liss looked over her shoulder at Rexia. "That's the kind of thinking that's keeping you dependent on the Arcana!" she said.

Rexia covered her face with her hands and retreated to the doorway of her home. "You're out of your mind!"

"Or maybe I'm the only one thinking the situation through!" Liss screamed back.

The bolts from the city guards' weapons that had been peppering the huge gray-skinned Cyclops had ceased; they'd no doubt been wiped out by his powerful blows. But a white streak came arcing over Liss's head and landed on the city wall next to the whole the Cyclops was making with his club. There was a flash of white light and the Cyclops fell on his back. The flash solidified into a person standing on the wall, and even from where Liss stood that black and gold armor, with the weird winged helmet and two short swords held in a reverse grip looked awfully familiar.

Thena, the first Arcanum she'd ever met. Who'd kicked her tail but good. But that had been before, when she'd only had one set of tricks, and she'd been weak still from having her blood sucked by that Vampire Mythos. Now Liss had all the cards, and hadn't lost any blood recently. This time when Thena aimed those swords at her, she'd be ready. This time, she'd…she'd…

She'd what? Beat the crap out of Thena to get even? And prove everything the people about this city thought about Tarock being a psychopath was true? Liss glanced over her shoulder and Rexia still sat huddled in her open doorway. Why didn't she just retreat to whatever safety barring her door would provide? The same safety she'd been trying to share with Liss.

Cyclops got halfway up, his head just visible through the breach in the wall. Thena readied her weapons to attack again, when suddenly she froze in place. The Cyclops swept his arm and knocked Thena off her feet, and didn't see the silvery shape that had jumped through the hole he'd punched in the wall. As soon as it landed she could see it was a metallic horse. In ten seconds it had cleared the distance and stopped short in front of her.

Shift Runner had heard her call.

Liss dug into his saddle bag and was relived to find her Fate Driver right where she'd left it. It locked around her waist and then she hauled herself into Shift Runner's saddle. She gave Rexia a small smile. "Looks you can see that little advantage I was talking about in action," she said. Then Shift Runner turned and galloped back toward the wall as the Cyclops stepped into Mazones itself.

"Let's get to work," Liss whispered, and loaded the Driver.

"Swords Suit!" it proclaimed and a red card drifted down over her and Shift Runner as it ran, forming thick red armor and filling her body with an incredible strength she'd almost forgotten. In a heartbeat Skycalibur, her awesome sword, was in her hand again. Shift Runner launched them at the Cyclops.

Concentrating as much strength as she could into her attack, Tarock called out, "Woe! Bladestorm!" She swept her sword in front of her and a wave of glowing swords shot out and peppered Cyclops's body. He roared out in pain and shrank back a step before Shift Runner crashed into his chest and knocked the monster back.

Cyclops recovered quickly and smashed his club down, but Shift Runner jumped aside just in time. Tarock locked the Rend Brace around her wrist and again concentrated all her energy into her next attack. "Calamity! Thunder Lash!" Pain wracked her body but the electrical coil was twice as long as she'd ever managed. She cracked it at Cyclops and sliced a black wound that barely missed his giant eye. She started to swing again but found herself looking straight at Cyclops's eye…and suddenly couldn't move.

That enormous bone swept out of nowhere and knocked her off Shift Runner and flying through the air. Tarock only came to a stop after crashing through the back wall of a house. She heard a chorus of surprised screams but staggered to her feet and back outside as fast as she could.

* * *

><p>Ven and Donis swooped around and around trying to catch up to the flying Mythos as he nimbly wove, spun and dived through the air with an agility they'd never seen. Before they could stop him he pumped his wings and sent a whirling column of air forward that tore a block of houses to pieces.<p>

"Ven Split!" Ven's bracelet said, and then there were three of her. They flew at the Mythos, each from a different side, but he spun with his wings spread wide and knocked them aside. As he stopped Donis suddenly flew up from behind and jabbed him behind one wing with a hard glowing fist.

The Mythos cried out and his wing went rigid then limp before he fell from the sky. Donis flew after him to finish the job but the Mythos turned in midair so his bird-like talons were below him then vaulted off the edge of a house and caught Donis on the chin with a swipe of the wing that'd been numbed.

As the Mythos pumped his wings and rose higher, he tweaked his foot-long nose at Donis in mockery.

* * *

><p>Painfully, Thena scraped herself off the ground where she'd landed. Cyclops had turned back to the houses and his eye shimmered just before a blinding ray shot out and vaporized a low dwelling. Seeing her get to her feet and bring up her swords to fight, Cyclops swung his bone club and Thena knew she had to act.<p>

"Grasp of Justice!" She held out her hand which turned ghostly transparent and grew large enough to grab the end of the bone and keep Cyclops from smashing it down on his target. He started to turn his giant head to face her, his massive eye already starting to glow with the energy of another blast. Thena hurled one of her short swords at the monster's eye. It was like a hornet's sting against something so big, but the blade lodged into the mottled gray skin right next to Cyclops's eye and he gave a roar of pain and looked away.

But Cyclops gave a mighty pull on his club and wrenched Thena off her feet, sending her tumbling end over end into the air.

Then suddenly she slammed into something and realized it wasn't the ground. Thena looked and saw she was lying across the saddle of a metal horse. It landed with a bump but far less hard than the one she would've made if she'd crashed into the ground. She jumped down, then stopped suddenly as she felt a great power nearby that wasn't the Mythos. Worse, a familiar power.

"Tarock! Show yourself!" Thena yelled. Tarock did indeed appear a second later, dashing around a corner but holding her sword low as if not expecting to need it. "You dare sneak into our city now! I'll obliterate you the same way I'll obliterate that monster!" Both hands clenched and raised Tarock's blade at that. "You're not worthy to wield that sword!" Thena screamed, clenching her own weapons

Thena ran with all her speed at Tarock, who suddenly swept her sword through the air. "Woe! Bladestorm!" To Thena's shock, the rain of swords exploded against the ground between them and didn't come flying straight at her. Thena jumped to her right to avoid them. She raised her swords to defend herself but Tarock was running right past her, and jumped into the saddle of the horse.

"Thanks for finding him for me!" Tarock called, an unmistakable taint of snide in the words, but the way she lingered a few seconds before wheeling the horse around and charging off to where Cyclops was rampaging made Thena wonder if that was all there was.

Thena jumped in the farthest arc she could manage after Tarock, landing on top of a house where she could see Tarock charging the Cyclops Mythos even as he knocked the roof off a house with his club and then obliterated the rest in a fiery flash from his eye beam. Tarock's horse vaulted off some fallen debris, and at the top of his jump Tarock herself jumped, then brandished her sword. "Dire Fate! Final Ascend!" The blade stabbed down into Cyclops's chest and a tornado ripped downward from the tip and started to chew away at his mottled flesh, exposing bubbling blue ichor.

The tornado grew and pushed Tarock away from Cyclops while it tore the hole in his torso larger. The very air tremored with his cry of rage as he swiped his club at her, but even as his attack missed the soles of her boots by inches, Cyclops cried out again, this time in pain.

"LIBRA KICK!" Thena slammed into the monster's spine with her foot, her entire body burning with silvery fire as she mustered every bit of her power. Cyclops staggered forward then fell flat on his stomach. Her sword that was lodged in his face was jarred loose and went spinning through the air, into Thena's empty hand.

"AVENGER'S STRIKE!" Her swords erupted with silver light as Cyclops got to his knees. She launched herself at the wound Tarock had made and plunged her short blades into it. Energy erupted in small bursts all over Cyclops's arms and torso and blue ichor started to bleed from those wounds as well. He toppled over backward and landed with a heavy crash.

She panted hard, having thrown nearly everything she'd had into those attacks. The Mythos twitched a few times and the blue ooze from its wounds started to turn into smoke as always happened when these creatures died.

Then suddenly Cyclops screamed again and sat up. With a swing of his giant arm he knocked Thena off him and brought his bone club down on where she lay.

A voice cut the air. "Cups Suit!" Then suddenly a huge block of ice formed around Cyclops's feet before a stream of water tore the club from his hand. He smashed at the ice with his fists and in a second was free again.

It seemed to take ages as Thena's eyes focused enough for her to spot Tarock, but now in light yellow armor and the blade on her wrist glowing blue before a transparent blade leaped from the tip and slashed into the Mythos's chest at an angle.

Before he recovered Tarock raised her left hand and formed a horizontal bar of ice between two houses. She jumped and caught it with her hands then swung her legs and spun one, two complete revolutions before letting go and somersaulting through the air before another beam ripped from Cyclops's eye and tore the walls off the houses she'd been between. Tarock splayed for a second with the energy she'd built up, forming an x-shape with her body, then launched a jump kick at Cyclops. "Dire Fate! Depth Pressure Kick!" Her body flared with energy and her kick exploded when it hit Cyclops's gaping wound. The monster flew back and smashed into the city wall.

Blue smoke rose from the Mythos's fallen body, and this time he didn't get up again before completely disintegrating. Then snatched up her swords and stood up to face Tarock, ready to continue the fight. Tarock faced her for a long second, but turned away. Not running to her horse to make her getaway, but down the street before disappearing around a corner. Thena followed rapidly but stealthily to see what Tarock was after and have an idea of the scope of her plans after managing to infiltrate Mazones.

But after a few turns, Tarock suddenly stopped outside an unremarkable house. The front door hung open, and sitting curled into a ball just next to the stairs leading to it was a teenage girl with bright orange hair. Tarock stood a safe distance away, hands by her sides and no trace of powers charging for an attack that Thena could sense.

"Rexi," Tarock said quietly. "Are you-"

"Don't come near me," the girl whispered, looking up at her with red-rimmed eyes. "I should've known. Speaking out against the Arcana, never saying anything concrete about yourself or where your came from, your little 'advantage', even having me be your extra set of eyes when you played that game… what was I expecting?" She looked away.

Tarock reached out with one hand, but slowly, plaintively. Not the one she wore her weaponized gauntlet on. The girl looked up at her again and held up her own hand straight up to stop Tarock, then looked away. "Don't, Liss. I don't want to hear it. All that time we spent helping you recover, this is what it was for."

"I'm not like they tell you," Tarock said. The girl didn't respond. Above them came a bursting sound, and Tarock and Thena both looked up Ven and Donis hovering around a quickly clearing cloud of blue smoke. They'd obviously dealt with their foe.

Tarock turned away from the girl. "I'll see you again, Rexi."

"Don't count on it." Thena was surprised not to hear those words coming out of her own mouth, but the girl's. Tarock bolted, and Thena pursued her as she ran to the city wall. Tarock jumped on her horse's back, and it galloped straight for the hole in the wall left by Cyclops's forced entry.

Thena took a running jump and landed on the smashed masonry before Tarock could pass through. "You're not going anywhere!" she cried, but Tarock didn't slow down. "Avenger's Strikes!" Thena called, charging her blades and swinging them to fire arcs of power at Tarock. Again the blade on her wrist glowed blue before a blade of energy flashed from the tip and knocked Thena's shots away, then the horse launched itself over the wall, within inches of Thena, landed on the other side and galloped away. Once they were a few hundred yards from the edge of Mazones they shimmered and disappeared.

Thena panted from the powerful attacks she'd been using in the last battle. Was she that out of condition? At least the Mythos had been repelled, even if it had been with help from…_her_. Ven and Donis flew down and hovered beside her, looking over the wall just as Thena was.

"Dame Thena, where did Tarock go?" Ven asked, her black armor slightly battered. "Perhaps we can still catch her."

But Thena waved off the suggestion. "She's gone back to her own world, and we've problems enough already."

"Yes, like how Tarock was able to enter Mazones undetected," Donis said, in more measured tones than his partner. "What was she planning?"

What indeed? Thena's thoughts lingered on those few instants where Tarock had been right next to her during that jump over the wall, and she'd surely had a chance to smash Thena into oblivion. Why hadn't Tarock taken it? And why hadn't Thena hit Tarock either while she was close enough to smell the intruder's breath?

But perhaps more than that, wasn't the timing rather convenient, that a pair of powerful monsters would attack Mazones while its ruler and the mightiest of its defenders was gone?

Thena sighed. "I don't know, but we're going to catch hell when the empress returns, whatever it was…"

As she looked out over the mountain in the distance, Thena swore she could she a black, bat-like shaping flying past with someone in a flapping black cloak atop it. Then it was gone.

* * *

><p>The sun was beginning to dip behind the slant of the mountain by the time Empress Maeve caught sight of her destination. She could be nearly anywhere in the Sphere in less than an hour, but without making a full journey she knew she could expect no help from the one she was seeking.<p>

This one, there was no point in trying to hide anything from her. And even with the difficulty she had penetrating the mysteries of the Mythos with her powers, Maeve needed any lead this Arcanum could provide her.

The empress wore none of her usually finery. Simple black shirt and pants with thick leather boots, and a plain haversack on her back to carry her offering.

It had once been a grand ivory temple with doric columns marking the front, the design taken from some inhabitants of the other world gifted with aesthetically pleasing ideas. The front arch above the columns was decorated by a tarnished carving of a flame. Once it had inlaid with gold, but now it was caked with dust.

Powers above, how long had it _been_?

Maeve strode purposefully through the doors into the main room. It was lit only by a tall brazier glowing with a blue flame by a battered stone chair in the back of the lone room. Behind it hung a curtain through which were the keeper's personal chambers, but on the throne was the keeper herself. Once she'd been breathtakingly beautiful, but she looked even more drained than the last time Maeve had seen her. Her blue and white robes were fine but faded, her headdress with a reflective disc between two curved horns was in need of a thorough polish. One thing about her had never changed, though, and that was the bright alertness of her eyes.

"You are troubled, Maeve," the woman said quietly, more as a greeting than an observation.

Maeve nodded. "And surely you know what brings me to your retreat, Phythia."

"It is at once puzzling and unsettling," Phythia said, distantly. "In times as dark as these people would seem to want answers all the more. But as times grow darker all that seems to matter is a desire to survive to see one more sunrise."

Slowly Maeve took off her pack and pulled out a faintly glowing yellow Ora Stone. "I have brought an offering for your flame, a stone touched by my power." She threw it into the brazier and the flame grew brighter. "When this is over, we'll restore the roads to the temple, I promise. It will be magnificent again."

"You look, but you do not see," Phythia reprimanded her. "Should splendor or guidance be what is sought within these walls? But since you've come looking for guidance, that is what I will provide. What answers do you seek, Empress of Mazones?"

"What other answers could I possibly seek?" Maeve almost screamed, in no mood for being led by a seer speaking in riddles. "Where are my enemies, what do I have to do to protect my people as the Mythos climb my walls while I'm here discussing this?"

Phythia ignored the harshness of Maeve's questions, but that was exactly what Maeve had expected. In both of Phythia's palms erupted a ball of the same blue flame from the brazier, and then her eyes glowed with the same bright blue. "Your enemies are right before your eyes, but their sources are confused. One seeks the doom of us all, the other is a powerful, if unpredictable force of their own."

Maeve scowled "That had better not be all, seer. I warn you…"

Phythia continued to look away, her body contorting as it was wracked with the intense power it took to see even this deeply . "The worst is coming, empress, and I would advise that you look for those willing to stand with you, instead of looking for threats lurking in every shadow.

"Also…I see a single lost soul. She is innocent, but she is the source of the darkness engulfing our world and spreading to the world beyond ours. If she can be found, rescued, before the rulers of the Mythos, we may yet avert the greatest darkness. But to search the entire Sphere for a single person with so many Mythos wandering about…it can only be possible if every ally to be found is enjoined." The light went out of Phythia's eyes, and she slumped back against her chair. Her vision was over.

Maeve sighed and shook her head. Who dared travel the Sphere without some kind of protection since the Mythos reappeared? A lead to the cause of the outbreak was welcome, of course, but finding one person on an entire world was impossible, even if she could marshal the forces of the few Arcana allied to her.

Perhaps it was time to discuss relations between her people and Solymen's again. Harsh words had passed between her and the emperor once, but they could overlook something like that in the name of their people's survival, couldn't they?

"I'll speak with the emperor once I've returned," Maeve said. "Hopefully between the two of us we can find this lost soul."

Phythia looked up, seeming even more drained than before. Still, she tossed something to Maeve. "It will take more than the handful of Arcana you can muster between the two of you."

"You suggest I risk my people in the search for this lost soul you speak of?" Maeve demanded. "Only a few are soldiers, never mind explorers. Phythia, perhaps you don't understand this, but my people expect me to act in their best interests. Are you seriously asking that I send them outside Mazones and make them easy prey for the monsters out there?"

"I ask nothing, empress," Phythia said placidly. "I simply advise those dedicated enough to ask for it."

* * *

><p>As soon as the void between Earth and the Sphere was behind her and she could see familiar buildings, a thought from Tarock turned Shift Runner into a racing bike again and she'd blasted halfway across town, jumped an old fence and stopped under a bridge before she was sure nobody had followed. She sighed and released her armor, then stowed the Fate Driver in her coat.<p>

Liss slumped against the wall. That…absolutely sucked. The time she'd spent recovering with Rexia's help, she hadn't felt anything like that in a long time. Rexia had even started to appreciate Liss inviting her to do something a little wild with her when she'd hardly left the house since the Mythos attacks started again.

But then, Liss showed off her powers and it was all over. Changing into Tarock in a city where everyone hated that name might not have been the smartest thing to do, but she was supposed to reversing that image. And Liss wasn't about to back down from a Mythos anyway.

But about her rep, how long had it been since the first Tarock had killed that one Arcanum? Why did they assume he was totally evil and hadn't had any other reason to do it? It seemed kind of weird to her she'd heard plenty about the sins of the original Tarock, but nothing about the Arcanum he'd killed. There had to be more to it…

But first, there were a few people she should probably tell she was alive after a few weeks away.

She rode past her older sister's garage, but as Liss had expected from the setting sun the place was closed already. The lights were also out at Paige's place and no one answered when she knocked. Sighing, Liss got back onto Shift Runner and rode to the only other place she could think of to go. A few minutes later she was knocking loudly on the back door of Angelo's Dragon Academy.

A while passed and nothing happened, and Liss started thinking of places she could crash and start looking for Paige in the morning. Her phone was dead and she didn't have the money for a motel room. Maybe for something off Sandy Burger's dollar menu, though. Her stomach growled at her, and she wondered if those other superheroes had nights like this.

Then a window creaked open on the second floor and Liss looked up into the double barrels of a familiar sawed off shotgun. "Who's down there?" barked a harsh male voice.

"It's me, sensei. Liss."

Angelo Bell looked down at her and his expression turned into what looked like a slight smile in the fading light. "So you're still alive."

Liss scratched the back of her neck. "You didn't really catch me when I was ready for a fight, last time."

"If you're entering into danger you need to be ready for a fight _all_ the time," he reprimanded her.

"I was still tired from my last fight," Liss protested, and sighed. She looked up and met Angelo's eyes. "And that's why I need your help."

He nodded. "Why don't you come up and we'll talk about it?"

"Because the door's locked," Liss answered.

"So?"

She laughed. "We're starting already, huh?"

Angelo leaned back inside and as soon as he was out of sight Liss had a thin piece of wire in her hand. She heard the click of the first lock after thirty-two seconds of tinkering, and the second even quicker than that. Half of a cut-up credit card pried open the tongue on the latch. The door went taut against its chain lock but a deft flick of the wrist with a pair of needlenose pliers the bolt slipped from the housing.

He was sitting in his small living room waiting for Liss when she got to the top of the stairs, sitting beside a low table with a teapot on it and sipping from a small teacup with no handle. "So," he said. "You've been gone forever."

"I guess even I need a while to bounce back from getting hurt pretty bad," Liss answered. She sat down opposite him and sipped from another small cup. It was a weak flavor she couldn't name, but for a minute she just savored the warmth and the smell of the steam from the pot.

It was nice to be home.

"So…everything been okay while I was gone? My sister didn't move or anything, that you know of?" Liss asked.

"Not that I know of," Angelo said. "She and I aren't exactly close or anything, though."

"Yeah," Liss said and filled her cup again. "Things okay, besides that? Any crimes? Any monsters?"

"Couple monsters, yeah. Nothing we couldn't handle," he said casually.

Liss let a moment pass. "I'm not shitting you about monsters."

"Would I shit you about monsters?" Angelo said, calm as before. "I saw you and those two guys in the suits of armor. 'Sides, we did have a couple monsters show up when you were gone. One of those snake-hair ladies, and some kinda thing was kind of like a monkey but it had lizard scales and a white Mohawk."

She shook her head. "Nothing you couldn't handle, huh?"

"I didn't say it was me," he pointed out. "Not that I couldn't handle myself if I got the chance. But that weird guy, the Robin Hood-looking one, he said he knew you, and he needed someone who could fight monsters the way you could. So he picked one."

Liss set her cup down hard. "What? Who?"

"I don't know," Angelo shrugged. "They went to that other planet of yours and only showed up after a monster did."

So much had happened while she was recovering. But right then, all she wanted was the chance to spend the night someplace that was safely familiar. Tiredly, Liss shook her head. "Sensei, can I crash on your floor tonight, and maybe we can talk tomorrow?"

"Absolutely not," he said. "There's a perfectly good couch over there nobody's using. Need a blanket?"

Liss shook her head and just slumped down on the couch, duster, shoes and gloves still on. Angelo poured out the teapot, shut off the lights and closed the door behind him. She was starting to drift off already, even as she felt the Fate Driver pushing against her side. Everything had started because of that little trinket. All those powerful, angry beings wanted to kill her or worse because she owned it, had gathered its power. Because she'd worn it into battle, she was obviously following the same agenda as the first one who'd worn it centuries ago.

If only she'd run away, forgotten all about that fight she'd seen with the giant spider, nobody from the Sphere would know about her, care about her at all.

But then again, what if the spider Mythos had stuck around and eaten half the town before going back to the Sphere? What if it had reported back to the White Lady that there was something interesting outside the Sphere besides a new Tarock?

The White Lady. As soon as Liss caught her breath, that was who she needed to find. Then she could count on getting some answers. But what would they be, and what would she do with them…

* * *

><p>Maybe it was because she'd been thinking of the White Lady as she fell asleep, but Liss had another dream like that one before she'd first woken up in Rexia's house.<p>

It was night and the only light came from the fires of the ruined buildings that had yet to finish burning completely. Black shapes of Mythos she couldn't identify closed in around Liss, reaching out and clawing the air in her direction. But this time the Fate Driver was locked firmly around her waist, waiting for her to load it so she could launch herself into battle against them.

A mocking voice rang in Liss's ears, the one she remembered from her last dream. "You think you have power, little girl? Look at what you've pitted yourself against. Kill one, kill ten, kill fifty. There will be more. Your strength will dwindle. Your body will fail. Your world will be consumed."

"If I do it your way," Liss said. "If I just jump in there and start punching, and don't use my head at all. But I haven't been doing things the way other people want for a while."

The answer was a soft, confident little laugh. "Those were the soft punishments, you silly child." Then feeling of cold from a nearby Mythos shot up Liss's arm, but it was so deep, so sharp this time she sank to her knees and cried out in pain. The swarm of monsters around Liss screeched and closed in, tearing and clawing as they crowded so closely the sky was blotted out entirely.

"Give some people a sip of power and they think they can reshape the world…" the White Lady's voice said tauntingly.

* * *

><p>Liss shook herself awake, flinching still from the dream. She was about to turn over and go back to sleep when she noticed the cold on her arm was still there; a monster was close, a real one.<p>

After the second stair her head was clear and she whipped out the back door, looking and listening for any sign of something evil nearby.

And then she saw it. The outline of a giant bat-like shape as it came to rest lightly on top of a building near the end of the block. Liss slipped into the street and jogged quietly over to the building where she'd seen the thing land. Finally she saw the thing, wings folded and perched on the edge of the building while sweeping a long, sloping neck back and forth as it kept watch.

She clung to the shadows while she watched what was going on. Another shape appeared, one with a cape tossed lightly on the chill night wind. The feeling of cold on Liss's arm rose and lingered while she watched. A minute later a tall, spindly figure with a giant round head melted out of the shadows and scaled the edge of the building with spider-like grace.

The sounds of a whispered conversation reached Liss's ears, but nothing she could make out from her hiding place across the street. She was about to transform, jump over and force some answers out of them, when suddenly the two turned her way and the cold feeling on Liss's arm seemed to burn.

It was as bad as when she'd seen Lost, but Liss clenched her teeth and grabbed into her coat for the Fate Driver. The Mythos in the cape jumped onto the strange flying creature's back and it spread its wings before jumping off the edge of the building and flying away. The other crouched and jumped all the way to the alley where Liss had been hiding, despite his impossibly thin legs. He grabbed for her neck and wrapped bony fingers around it, but Liss jammed a card into her Driver.

"Wands Suit!" it roared. The translucent blue card passed down Liss's body and shook the monster off. In the burst of light as her armor solidified and the sensation of speed filled her limbs she could make out the features of a jagged-toothed jack o' lantern on his face. A floppy wide-brimmed hat sat on his head and his hands were gnarled and plant-like.

A Scarecrow Mythos.

He spun back with his momentum and suddenly whipped around clutching a gleaming scythe that whistled toward Tarock's neck. She raised her wand to block it and metal shrieked against metal. Scarecrow turned and swiped at her legs with blinding speed but Tarock jumped and somersaulted in the air to avoid it, then landed and aimed her wand at his face.

"Calamity! Dragon's Maw!" A jet of blue fire shot from the tip of the wand and swept over Scarecrow. He fell back, his ragged clothes aflame, but crouched and jumped back with incredible speed and the rushing air putting out the fires on his body. He landed on a rooftop and with her heightened sight Tarock could see his mouth turn up into a mocking smile. But then he turned and jumped away in the opposite direction.

Well, if he wanted a chase, he'd get a hell of a chase. "Mag Step," Tarock whispered, and the world turned blue and hazy as she ran after Scarecrow. He was frozen in the middle of a jump over a street, and Tarock jumped and kicked him back down as she let her speed fade. Scarecrow rolled with the impact and landed back on his feet.

Tarock extended her wand into a full staff and ran after her enemy. This monster seemed more than his thin form indicated, and she needed to save her strength until she figured out just what his limits were.

Scarecrow swiped his scythe at Tarock and a whirling energy blade shot from the tip. Tarock knocked it away with her staff and jumped, somersaulted and landed behind him. Before he could retaliate she concentrated and her Mag Step power flared again, seeming to freeze Scarecrow in place. She kicked rapidly at his back before her body started to ache and she had to let things to return to normal speed.

The monster went flying but again rolled with it as he hit the ground and ended in a crouch onto his feet. Tarock ran to close the distance and attack again, trying to ignore the exhaustion she was already feeling. Mag Step was an incredibly potent power but it was one she was going to have to learn to use sparingly.

He slashed with his scythe at Tarock's head but she ducked under it and kicked Scarecrow as hard as she could in the chest. Scarecrow went sprawling but as he went down he grabbed Tarock's ankle with one gnarled hand. She jerked her leg backk and his hand snapped off, but all of a sudden the fingers started to grown and wrap around Tarock, binding her legs together. She tried to ignore her fatigue already and use Mag Step to stop Scarecrow's hand from growing enough to pin her arms too, but she was still too weak from all the power she'd used in her fight with Cyclops and time didn't slow. Second later Tarock's entire body was covered by thick vines.

Scarecrow grinned as he hefted his scythe, another hand sprouting to replace the one that entwined her. He walked over slowly, letting her dwell on her impending doom a few seconds more. When he was still a few steps away, a voice rang out.

"CHANGE, VAGA!" Both Tarock and Scarecrow looked over to see someone standing a good fifty feet off, fist held in front of his face so his features were hard to make out. But on that wrist he wore a metal bracelet with a dull green stone set in it, and in his other hand he held a card of a man in medieval garb carrying a hobo stick on it. The card flashed and disappeared, and the green stone glowed with power.

The air around him rippled with green light that solidified into green armor around his body with white lines running down the arms and legs, and forming a large V on the left side of his chest. His gauntlets and boots were black metal while the round eyes staring out from his featureless mask were yellow like Tarock's. A thin white spine bent backwards was affixed to each side of his mask, and another stuck up from the middle of his forehead above a small yellow gem, same bright shade as the round gem in his belt buckle. And tossed over one shoulder was a thin white scarf.

In a firm, strong voice he commanded. "Step away, freak. This world's under the protection of Vaga."

Scarecrow sprang at this newcomer and slashed again and again with his scythe. Vaga danced away from one wild slash after another then reached out suddenly and grabbed the long shaft of Scarecrow's weapon. They pulled back and forth for possession for a few seconds when Vaga lashed out with a kick at Scarecrow's midsection. It connected but Scarecrow hardly budged. The eyes in his jack o' lantern face lit up and he spewed a fireball at Vaga.

Vaga gasped in surprise and caught the fireball full on his chest. He let go of the scythe and went down. Scarecrow jumped forward to finish the job but suddenly Vaga's bracelet said, "Vaga Warder."

Suddenly he was holding a short gray rod of what looked like wood but with a slight metallic sheen, about two feet long and engraved with weird designs. He jabbed Scarecrow in the stomach with it. The monster growled and grabbed at Vaga with his spindly fingers but Vaga jumped backward and landed on top of a three-story building. Scarecrow jumped after him and Vaga took another powerful jump and in a second they were both out of sight.

Alone for the moment, Tarock stretched out with her fingers and managed to grasp the end of her wand. Grimly, she pointed it at herself and gathered her strength.

* * *

><p>A second fireball exploded behind Vaga, far enough away that he could only feel a short sensation of heat on his back. He turned and watched as Scarecrow came flying at him then darted back and let the monster's scythe splinter the ground where he'd stood.<p>

Scarecrow swiped his gleaming weapon and again a whirling blade of power shot forth. Gripping his Warder in both hands, Vaga deflected it into the air then charged Scarecrow and stabbed the monster as hard as he could. This made Scarecrow exhale a cloud of flames in pain and before he could recover Vaga swung his weapon again and sent the scythe spinning from Scarecrow's hands.

Disarmed, Scarecrow's jagged mouth turned down in dismay. Suddenly he reached out and his arms stretched far enough to grab Vaga's arms, and dragged him closer. Vaga struggled and battered at Scarecrow's arms with his Warder, but the monster just grinned while a fire started to glow behind his eyes and mouth. He spat a fireball at Vaga who screamed in pain as it exploded against his chest…

…but then Vaga's bracelet called, "Vaga Lancer!" The shining blue tip of a spear mounted on an ornately carved haft shot out of the cloud of fire from Scarecrow's attack and impaled him. Vaga lifted the monster over his head, and slammed him against the ground. Scarecrow bounced a couple times before coming to a stop, but Vaga ran after him and stabbed his spear at Scarecrow's head.

The tip entered one eye, and Scarecrow's mouth contorted in a silent scream as Vaga pulled hard and tore out the side of the monster's head. Pumpkin bits littered the ground and Scarecrow reached up to touch his horrible injury with fumbling fingers. "Time to finish this," Vaga whispered and ran to attack again. As Vaga was about to impale Scarecrow suddenly a gout of flame shot from Scarecrow's head and flew between the two. It shaped itself into a bat and flew at Vaga again who slashed it through with his spear, making it disappear, but a fiery creature like a spider jumped at him. Then a flaming wolf lunged at Vaga and knocked him down; a swarm of wasps flew by and left a series of fiery stings on the side of his mask; a lizard the size of a dog bit at his legs.

But Vaga flung the wolf off, grabbed his weapon and stabbed clear through the wolf. He kicked the lizard off his leg, jumped and stomped down on it and exploded the strange creature. The wasps flew by for another pass and as they came close enough Vaga spun the Lancer like a rotor and smashed them out of existence.

He turned back to their source, and saw Scarecrow clawing at his head until the top was

completely gone and all that was left was a raging fire atop his shoulders. More monsters were forming out of the flames, and if Vaga didn't act fast he'd be overwhelmed. "Vaga Bowgun," the bracelet said and his weapon changed again, flashing into a new shape, a rod with a gun-like grip in his hand.

Suddenly something screamed behind Vaga and he whirled around to see one of the fire creatures about to grab him before something sliced through it. The fire monster shrieked low as it disappeared, and standing behind it with staff in hand and armor blackened and scorched, was Tarock.

"Thanks," Vaga said, his tone that of someone smiling smugly, "Now check this out."

He turned to Scarecrow and his bracelet said, "Heartseeker." The Bowgun glowed white for a second before a glistening arrow shot from it and went straight through Scarecrow's heart. The monster's body twitched for a few seconds before it disintegrated into plumes of blue smoke, leaving no trace of him or his fiery creations.

A moment passed before Tarock looked over at Vaga. "Who are you?" she demanded.

He stepped back and his armor flickered away, leaving Tarock looking into the smirking face of Ben Corland, her obnoxious ex-boyfriend. "Been a while, hasn't it, Liss?" he asked.

The air seemed to stretch for a second and then Jack was standing behind him, hobo stick over one shoulder and everything. But something about the Arcanum was different. His face seemed sallow and with more wrinkles than Liss remembered. His clothes less vibrant in their patchwork of colors, and the mysterious twinkle in his eyes less bright.

"Indeed she has," Jack said, smiling slightly. "Our envoy lives. Perhaps things are not so grim as we were afraid."

Tarock said nothing. Plenty had happened without her after all, and it looked like it was going to come all at once.

**End Book One**

* * *

><p><strong>From Book Two<strong>…

Jack: The Mythos have gotten even bolder. There are more of them all the time and each one's stronger than the last.

(Lost flees into an underground tunnel to hide as a puddle of black slime outside starts to form into a new Mythos monster)

Liss: Sounds like we're gonna all the help we can get.

(A figure in a black hood and cloak, with a wooden staff tipped with a blue gem rides on the back of a red pterodactyl-like monster)

Shardak: That we will, my child, that we will. But I may know where to find the beginnings of a revolution…

(A man in a suit reports to an office, then shimmers into a faceless Mythos grunt)

Ben: Who needs a revolution? Let's just find who's giving the orders.

(Tarock in her Swords Form taps a fixture on her belt and another woman in red armor wielding a sword appears)

Jack: laugh If only it were that simple, child.

(Another Rider wearing black armor and cape wields a long scythe-like blade on their arm)

Ben: Then what _is_ the plan?

(Tarock, Vaga, Ven, Donis and the black-clad Rider face down a twenty-foot fall manticore)

Liss: The plan's to be ready for anything.

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Well, that was a pretty big chapter. Hope it wasn't too overwhelming, though. The stakes are definitely getting bigger and more personal for everyone involved.<p>

Since it was so obvious, Tarock's fight with the Cyclops (fighting in her water-based form, spinning on a bar to build up power for a Rider Kick, how the Cyclops looked, etc.) is based on Kamen Rider X's fight with a Cyclops kaijin. The other monster was a Tengu, although I had to reach a little to find something they'd do in a direct fight with other people with special powers.

And if you really think about the descriptions of the monsters Angelo said attacked her town while Liss was gone, they might sound a little like commander-level bad guys from a real Kamen Rider show. Not too hard, but since I just pointed out the last one, why tell everything? :3

As for Vaga's name, his powers are based on the card that represents someone setting out on a journey to find wisdom. That sounded like a "vagabond" to me, and as soon as I had that thought the name was stuck in my head. And I think it fits the direction I have in mind for the character, whether he knows it himself or not right now.

But, big things are on the horizon. Hope you've enjoyed them so far and enjoy what's to come.


	12. (Crossing Card) Chapter 12: Rat's Nest

**Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Book Two: Crossing Card**

Reading Twelve: Rat's Nest

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

But as she battled the Mythos and searched for the special cards that were the keys to unlocking each of Tarock's special powers, Liss found her self-righteousness shaken by the gratitude of the beleaguered people of the Sphere. After being wounded by a giant Mythos, Liss was forced to travel to the city of Mazones to recover. Home to the Arcana most convinced that Tarock is a danger to them, Liss was eager to escape as soon as she'd recovered.

But as she regained her strength Liss befriended a local girl named Rexia with her confidence and adventurous ways. When a giant Mythos attacked Mazones, Liss revealed her powers to Rexia, who was convinced that Liss was evil because of using the mantle of Tarock.

Liss returned to Earth, where she witnessed a midnight meeting between a pair of Mythos. She was found out and a fight ensued, which was interrupted by another super-powered warrior calling himself Vaga. And after he unmasked, she was none too pleased to see the smirking face of her ex-boyfriend, Ben Corland.

* * *

><p>A few feet away the last of the Scarecrow monster smoldered. In front of her Ben grinned at revealing his power to her. Next to him stood Jack, a faint look of disapproval on his face. Somehow he seemed old and tired, the colors of his tunic and the cloth on the bundle of his hobo stick more drab than the last time Liss had seen him.<p>

"Told you she wasn't dead," Ben said smugly.

"I was hoping for it myself, young man," Jack replied with a wan smile.

Liss clenched her eyes shut. She felt like demanding to know how he had gotten powers. Why it had been him. Why he looked so superior about having them when she'd been off on a strange world going to strange places and fighting huge monsters to get hers.

But she was too tired, and not about to give Ben Corland the satisfaction of seeing her blow up right there in the middle of the street. Instead she just sighed and asked, "What happened to you, Jack?"

"We didn't know if you were still alive when you stopped answering so suddenly, Liss," the Arcanum answered her. "For Shardak's plan we needed another envoy. To have another envoy we needed power, and everyone's guarding every bit they can find. Given the circumstances I don't entirely blame them."

"He must be really happy the best person you could find was _this guy_," Liss said, pointing an accusing finger in Ben's direction.

"And everything about _you_ screams 'hero,' doesn't it?" Ben snapped back. "It was just dumb luck you got powers! Me, I got hand-picked!"

Liss shot Jack an accusing glare, and he smiled wanly back. "He had a certain familiar passion," Jack said, and winked.

She sighed, then turned around. "Whatever."

"That's it?" Ben gaped. "You're just gonna friggin' _leave_?"

"I've had a hell of a day and your face was the last thing I wanted to see at the end of it," Liss sighed, and walked away. Ben started after her, but Jack held out his hobo stick to block him.

The Arcanum shook his head and sighed sadly. "You should leave her be, you know as well as I she's not been idle these weeks. Some time back on home ground will be good for her."

Liss vanished into the night, Ben staring after her as she went. "Such a pity," Jack went on. "The previous Tarocks knew well what they were getting into when they accepted those powers…"

" 'Tarocks' ? Are you serious?" Ben said, giving Jack a look of disbelief. "Her name's not Tarock. It's Liss. Decker."

Jack quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, is that what she's called?" As Ben rushed off he failed to see the faint teasing smile on Jack's face.

* * *

><p>Liss settled back down onto the couch at Angelo's place. God, what a day. First all that with Rexia, then she came back and found out Shardak and Jack really had assumed she was dead and replaced her. With <em>Ben Corland<em>.

On the other hand…had she really been planning on taking orders from the two of them? What was she going to do with all the cards after she found them, anyway? Go after the Mythos right away? Or maybe go after Lost. She was the real root of the problem, wasn't she? Take care of her, and then it'd just be a matter of mopping up the monsters already out there.

But take care of Lost _how_? She hadn't seemed like someone who wanted to kill people. She'd seemed alone, scared, confused...lost.

How…

Damn it.

Liss shut her eyes and tried not to think about anything. She was too damn tired to think about this crap. In the morning she'd talk to sensei. Until then, sleep.

She slipped off her duster and gloves and dropped them on the floor. Sensei would understand after he heard what she'd been up to in the middle of the night. Slowly Liss let the darkness surround her, let the day fade and sleep set in.

Then the sound of something ricocheting off the window next to the couch reached her ears, followed by another a second later. She rolled awkwardly off the couch, fumbled in her duster for the Fate Driver and climbed to the window to see what was going on. Liss prepared herself for the sight of some giant Mythos blasting debris for blocks, but what she saw was even more aggravating.

Standing in the alley below, throwing pebbles at the window, was Ben Corland.

Liss dragged the window open. "What do you want?" she hissed.

"Hi, Liss," Ben said cordially. "I like how you grew your hair out. Looks nice."

Liss pushed the black hair back over her shoulder. She'd been planning to cut it after she had some time to settle back in. "That wasn't my idea," she said, then repeated, "What do you want?"

"Jack told me about this monster hideout down in the sewers," Ben replied. "Tomorrow he was gonna take me down there as kind of my final exam." He glanced at his phone. "Or, today I guess."

"Yeah?"

"I went looking for it and I already know where it is," Ben said proudly. "I was gonna wait for Jack, but since you're back, let's go trash it together!"

Liss looked down at him for a minute, then said, "I'll come by your place. If this is some kind of joke I'll break your nose."

"It's not, I swear! Just a pair of superheroes teaming up! They do that all the time, right?"

"I never read a comic book in my life. How should I know?" Liss asked.

"Jack talked to you about those real superheroes in Japan, right? The ones like us? They must do that, right?"

"Never met them either," Liss said and started to close the window. "See you tomorrow."

Ben grinned.

* * *

><p>Before the noise of Angelo and his family rising had ceased, Liss had gathered her things and ridden off. She did have an important favor to ask him, but he knew about the weird stuff going on. He'd understand if she had to hold it off for a while to deal with that first.<p>

She finished a cup of Sandy Burger coffee then emptied her tray into the trash. The taste of overdone coffee would've normally been a necessary evil to get herself going after another short night's sleep. This time, it was welcome, familiar. For the first day in weeks, she wasn't on some weird other planet where mystical beings of two different kinds were out to get her.

She was home. At least here, the problems were ones she was used to.

When Liss drove up to the apartment block where Ben lived, he was already standing outside on the curb with a sports bag on the ground next to him. He grinned as he heard the sound of Shift Runner's engine and ran over as she pulled up.

"Awesome bike! Where you'd get it?" he asked.

"It came with the suit," Liss answered.

Ben frowned. "None came with _my_ suit."

"If you're not pulling my chain about this monster hideout maybe we'll see about getting you one," Liss said. "Now where is it?"

He got up behind her, slinging his bag on the back of the seat and holding on her shoulder with his other hand. For a second Liss seemed to flinch away from him, then started the bike up and rode down the street.

"The best way to sneak in's gonna be near the old paint place down on 11th!" Ben said. "You know where that is?"

Of course she did. Nobody else had been inside that old store in years. It was one of the first places Liss had learned to hide when she was coming up with escape routes back when…back when she'd first started calling herself Liss.

But the old Shining Walls place wasn't much like Liss remembered when they cruised by. The store was still out of business, but the door was open and inside the floor had been cleared and three workmen were installing new insulation in the ceiling. Liss looked over at it for a second in surprise then rounded the block and went into an alley behind the building as Ben directed.

They stopped next to a manhole, and Ben dropped his bag on the ground, unzipped it and pulled a crowbar out. He used it to flip the cover off the manhole, then dug into the back again and got a pair of old flashlights out. He handed one to Liss, then a swimmer's nose clip. "It smells like ass down there," he explained.

"Imagine where the toilets empty out smelling like that," Liss said, but put it on. Ben turned on his flashlight and climbed down the ladder. Liss followed.

* * *

><p>Empress Maeve's return trip to Mazones was slower than she might have normally gone, if only because she thought the seer might still have been watching to assess her dedication for any future visits she paid.<p>

Phythia's advice hadn't been the most welcome. Somehow Maeve had hoped there might be a quick, direct solution to dealing with the Mythos. That maybe Phythia could've even used her vaunted powers of sight to learn where this "lost soul" would be so Maeve could lead a force straight there. Things were never that simple, even to the Arcana, were they?

Mazones came into view, and Maeve let out a small sigh. It was always good to see her home again. Then she noticed how a hole had been punched in the outer wall, gashed nearly to the ground.

The next instant she was flying back to Mazones.

Guards on the wall looked up in alarm as Maeve came flying at them, but a flash of violet energy called off their panic. As she flew down trucks were already delivering stone to repair the damage, and machinery was being driven in to put it in place. Overseeing the repair effort, her armor sporting a few new dents, was Thena. She looked up as Maeve landed nearby and stomped up to her.

"What happened?" the empress demanded.

"A Mythos attack during your absence, majesty," Thena sighed. "There were two. They were repelled, with help from Mila and Felco's envoys. But…"

Maeve crossed her arms, already suspecting what she was about to hear.

"…Tarock was present for the battle as well. Where she came from, I don't know. She attacked the same Mythos as myself, and once it was dealt with jumped the wall and vanished from sight," Thena said, a slight quaver in her voice as she delivered the unwelcome news. Her normal blinding confidence slipping for that instant.

The ground under Maeve's feet cracked from the power building from her anger as she began to speak. "Very convenient how a Mythos attack and Tarock appearing inside the city both take place at the same time, while I'm gone trying to find a way to end this war."

"Did Phythia tell you anything of use?" Thena asked.

Maeve's body erupted with violet power for a second as she turned to face a still unmoved Thena. "Don't change the subject!" the empress screeched. "Tarock was right here in Mazones, and you and those two didn't dispose of her!"

"I was at the limit of my strength, majesty. The years have left me weaker than I realized," Thena replied. "The Mythos was enormous, and only fell between the two of us."

"I don't like how you make it sound as if the two of you are suddenly comrades in arms," Maeve slowly, her statement an unmistakable warning.

Thena bowed low. "You have my deepest regrets for allowing Tarock to slip away, empress. But I was not idle. I was battling a far more immediate threat to our people."

A few minutes passed, and Maeve emptied her mind to force her powers and her anger to subside. She finally said, "Find those other two, and bring them to my quarters. As it so happens I have found something that will let us go on the attack."

* * *

><p>They switched on the flashlights and Ben started walking down the concrete platform next to a river of sludge, Liss walking beside him. The air was thick and stung the throat a little, but Ben didn't seem to mind too much and Liss had been through worse. They didn't go for long before Ben turned to her and asked, "How did it happen? You getting your powers?"<p>

"Jack didn't tell you?"

"Maybe I want to hear it from you."

Liss looked at him for a minute before answering. "The last Tarock, a guy from the Sphere, he was fighting this spider monster and they just appeared in front of me all of a sudden. The spider killed him and his belt landed next to me, and it seemed important so I took it. I killed the spider with Shardak telling me about its powers through the fight, even though I didn't know it was him back then.

"I was trying to figure out how it worked and what was going on at school…and you got sent to detention on purpose so you could try to figure out why I wasn't talking to you," she finished. Ben smirked and shrugged. "Then I had my first fight with an Arcanum…and she hurt me really bad. Then Jack found me and told me about the Sphere, and where to look for the other cards I needed to have all my powers. He probably told you about all that." She looked ver at him, wondering if that had sounded as unprepared to him as it had to her. "So why'd he pick you to replace me?"

Ben smirked again. "Nobody could ever replace you."

"C'mon…," Liss sighed.

He raised his hands in acquiescence. "Jack came to town and said he was looking for someone to help him. You know, about getting people to fight the monsters without the Arcana's help. And they wanted me to help _find_ you, not replace you."

"But why'd they pick you?" Liss pressed.

That got a chuckle out of him. "Because I told them to. And didn't take no for an answer."

"I guess that kind of advances their goal."

A few minutes passed as they headed deeper into the dank tunnels. "So," Ben said, "what do you think we should call ourselves?"

"What?" Liss asked.

"Well, 'Vaga' and 'Tarock' don't really sound badass all by themselves, do they?" Ben explained. "What if we added something? Like those guys in Japan did, you know? Jack told you about those too, didn't he?"

Liss nodded.

"So we should have cooler names than just that, like them. Masked Rider Tarock, sounds pretty awesome, huh?"

Liss shrugged. "I guess."

Ben gave her an incredulous look. "You guess? Geez, Liss, you see all the shit we've seen, and that's how psyched up you are about this? Why'd you do all this if that's how you feel?"

Liss shot him the most serious look he'd ever seen on anyone. "To prove I'm strong enough to grab onto this, and handle anything that comes my way because of it."

As he heard Liss's reply Ben stopped walking, and Liss stopped next to him but looking straight ahead. He stood there in thought, then asked, "Prove to who?"

"To me," Liss answered.

"Oh," Ben said. Another beat passed. "I meant what I said about your hair last night."

"Let's find the monsters' hideout before Jack comes looking for you, okay?" Liss replied.

"Okay," Ben said, and led the way again. After another few minutes of uneventful trudging they reached the end of a tunnel that emptied out into a large room about ten feet below them. On a ledge in the far right corner was a small pile of brightly-colored gems. On the other end of the ledge were a bunch of oil drums. Most were capped, but a few were full of a thick black bubbling liquid.

"Oh god," Liss muttered as she spotted the drums in the beam of her flashlight. It looked like the same stuff Lost had puked up and shaped itself into a Mythos monster right in front of her. She cast her light back and forth to see if Lost herself was down there, but the room seemed devoid of life. At least life other than rats and bugs.

"What is it, Liss?" Ben asked in a whisper.

"That black stuff over there. That's what the Mythos come from. Damn, how do they get it? Lost would've had to run like hell to get away after spitting that much stuff up." Her thoughts turned to the strange girl she'd only met once, but who was easily suffering the most of anybody in the middle of the Mythos coming back. Producing the dark matter that spawned the Mythos monsters and hearing the voice of the White Lady calling her and naming the horrors that would appear as a result whenever Lost had one of her horrific "attacks."

"Lost? What's lost?" Ben asked. Suddenly Liss winced at cold on her arm, and pushed a gloved finger to his mouth.

"They're coming," she whispered. Ben paused and could indeed hear the unmistakable echo of a footfall down the tunnel from them. Then suddenly the air became thick with smoke, and something huge flew out of it, tackling Ben into empty space at end of the tunnel and smacking Liss face-first into the wall.

Ben and the attacker landed with a splash in a flow of rancid water. He wrestled his hand free from where it was pinned between his and his attacker's bodies and grabbed his card, waving it in front of his bracelet. "Change, VAGA!" it called. As his armor materialized and his power to see in the dark took hold he found himself looking up into the face of a fanged, ape-like monster with pointed ears and wiry black hair. Vaga concentrated and his warder appeared. The weapon glowed with power as he battered the monster's side, knocking it off him then jumped back up. The monster jumped, almost brushing the roof of the room at the height of his jump, then plowed into Vaga with both feet.

Liss groaned and pushed back from the wall, feeling her nose to see if it was broken but only noticing a warm trickle under one nostril. There was a second twinge of cold on her arm and she quickly guessed she wasn't alone.

Quickly Liss strapped on her Fate Driver and was digging into the pouch on the belt for a card when an electric bolt ripped down the sewer tunnel and slammed into her chest. She was sent flying off the ledge but managed to load her Driver before she hit.

"Pentacles Suit!" it roared. Tarock landed heavily but the sensation of overpowering strength filled her body, and she got up ready to fight again.

"Time to get to work," Tarock said, then turned to face her enemy.

The Mythos who'd attacked her stepped off the ledge and fell through the air, then stopped suddenly a few feet before his feet touched the festering water. He was massive, with a snarling face that looked like it had been hit repeatedly with a shovel, flattening them down. His nose had thicker nostrils than she'd ever seen on a pig, sharp fangs jutted up from his lower jaw and the hair atop his head seemed constantly blown upward in a wind she couldn't feel. His most striking features were the three powerful arms sticking out from both sides of his torso.

This one she thought she recognized. He looked like a monster one of Ben's friends whose name she couldn't remember had painted on his bedroom wall, an "asura." The friend had thought it had looked awesome; Ben had thought it was funny when the friend's parents found out about the satanic picture on the wall and sent him to counseling.

She wondered if Ben still would.

The Mythos cupped his hands and electricity danced between his palms. Tarock hurled herself to the side before another lightning bolt ripped from them and blew a hole in the floor where she'd been, pelting her with chips of concrete. The monster flew forward, grabbed a pair of the gems and whispered something that chilled Tarock as she thought she caught a few words that sounded familiar. Then he plunged the gems into the open vat of black goo. Tarock lunged at him, but before she got close enough to attack he plunged the gems, which had merged into a single sphere of power, into his chest which rippled like water then solidified once after he withdrew his hand.

She threw her hardest punch and connected with Asura's side, throwing him off-balance. A hard kick to the stomach bent him backwards…then out of nowhere one of his powerful arms swiped at her head with a glistening scimitar. Tarock ducked and the blade skimmed her arm. Her thick armor caught most of it but the blow was still enough to knock her to the floor. Another arm flashed out with a thorn-covered whip, but Tarock launched herself and shoulder-checked him hard. Before Asura could recover she slammed a punch into his chest.

Tarock threw her hardest punch. Blue ichor spurted from the wound. Asura flew back a few feet and clutched his chest with one wide hand, fanged mouth parting in a silent gasp.

Then his upper arms came crashing down on Tarock's shoulders. She cried out as she felt the blows even through her thickest armor, but as the scimitar made another pass at her head she grabbed Asura's arm and pushed it back with all her might, stabbing the tip of the blade into the dripping wound where she'd landed her punch. He clenched his teeth but made no sound of pain. Two huge fists swung down toward Tarock again but she shoved the sword as hard as she could then whirled and summoned her hammer, the Gran Crusher. With all her strength Tarock bashed Asura's hands away then jumped.

"Calamity! Earth Needle!" the Fate Driver said. As soon as Tarock landed the ground shook and rocky spikes erupted from the ground and jabbed into Asura's body. Still not uttering a sound he swept his many powerful arms around him and smashed through the spikes, ignoring the seeping new wounds in his sides. "Woe! Terra Bind!" the Fate Driver said. At her command hands formed from the wall behind Asura and seized his powerful arms. She didn't have any delusions about being able to hold him for more than a second or two, but jumped and smashed her hammer into the side of his head. There was a crunch and it snapped off, landing in the sewage in the far side of the chamber.

Tarock panted, surprised at how easy it had been. But Asura's body didn't dissolve into blue smoke like the dead Mythos before him had. Instead there was a nauseating wet cracking noise, then Tarock looked up to see another head atop Asura's shoulders before a lightning bolt ripped from his hands.

Meanwhile Vaga and the other Mythos jumped at one another from opposite sides of the room. As they came close enough Vaga slashed with his Warder and caught the Mythos on the back of the head but the monster's claw-like nails raked against his side. They kept going, neither having done any serious damage, then once they landed turned and jumped at each other again.

Vaga started to swing at his enemy's head, who jerked to the side and aimed for Vaga's chest with his claws. Suddenly Vaga changed the direction of his swing, waving the Warder in front of himself and leaving a transparent blue trail behind it that the monster's claws bounced off. The same force surrounded the Warder as Vaga battered it against his enemy's back, knocking him out of the air to land in the sewage.

In only a second the monster was back up. He opened his mouth and a crackling green fog poured out. Already the air was starting to sting through his suit. Vaga covered his mouth, doubting it would do much good. But between breathing dangerous smoke, the powerful jumps, this Mythos reminded him of one of the monsters Jack had made him learn about so he'd know what to expect if he ran into them. One from England. Spring-Heeled Jack, that sounded right.

Wasn't that a nice little bit of irony?

"Vaga Bowgun," his bracelet announced as passed the weapon in front of it, and it morphed into a slender gun-like form. He squeezed the trigger and a shining arrow shot at the monster. It lodged in his shoulder, causing him to wheel back and let the smoke he'd been breathing start to break up. Vaga charged and shouldered the Mythos hard against the wall, and ran after to press his attack. Suddenly the monster sprang up, jumped off the wall and landed a powerful jump-kick on Vaga's chest.

The blow sent Vaga tumbling head over heels. He held on tight to his weapon, desperate not to lose the advantage it provided. Spring-Heeled Jack came plummeting down toward Vaga, claws held out in anticipation, and Vaga scrambled to his feet.

Vaga passed his weapon in front of his bracelet, and it announced "Vaga Fencer." Again it reshaped itself, this time into a slender rapier with a blade the color of burnished gold. Jack landed and sliced at Vaga who blocked the claws on the blade of his sword and lunged in to stab at Jack's heart. The monster grunted and jumped back but Vaga stabbed again and again, drawing blue blood with each strike. Jack recovered for a second and jabbed at Vaga's face, but the attack was slow, clumsy. Vaga sidestepped it with ease and kicked Jack away.

Then Vaga jumped, somersaulted in the air and came out of it in a flying kick. "Vaga KIIICK!" he called and his body was sheathed in red power. He crashed into Jack and sent the monster flying through the air, and Jack burst into blue smoke. Vaga looked around for any other guardians, then turned and ran to where Tarock was still fighting.

Tarock threw another of her hardest punches against Asura's chest, but the wound she'd made from her first was closing even as she pulled back her fist. "Calamity! Edifice Cracker!" the Fate Driver said, and Tarock threw another charged punch, but Asura's sword flashed out and she jumped back to avoid losing her arm. More lightning shot from his hands and scorched the concrete as Tarock repeatedly flipped backward to avoid even more blasts, a few striking the water covering the floor and sending up clouds of foul-smelling steam.

But in this form she wasn't quick enough to avoid the bolts for long. One caught her on the chest and another on her right ankle, blowing Tarock off the ground. More lightning raked over her armor, but Tarock let out a defiant cry that seemed to shake the entire room, grabbed her hammer and charged Asura. Crackling electric strands tore across her armor, but Tarock didn't slow down, plowing into Asura with her shoulder and knocking him on his back. She rained pulverizing blows down on him with her hammer, and kicked away a swing from his sword aimed at her back.

But still he kept coming even after feeling the attacks of her strongest form, raining down blows and bolts that Tarock dodged away from again and again. She plowed into him with her shoulder and kicked at him again and again. Asura recoiled a few steps, then charged again. Frustration welled up inside Tarock at his unending resistence.

"All I been hearing for years is how nobody wants me the way I am," Tarock shouted. She pounded her hammer into his arms as he tried to grab her. "Well, they always said you can be anything you want!" She jumped off Asura, then kicked him off the ground and loaded a new card.

"Wands Suit!" the Fate Driver announced, her blue armor solidifying, then immediately followed, "Calamity! Dragon's Maw!" A wide fan of flames from her wand engulfed Asura. He crashed into the wall, still wreathed in flames.

"THIS IS WHAT I AM! I'm what I say I am, not anybody else!" she screamed.

"Damn," Vaga whispered and Tarock turned to see him standing and watching.

Tarock was about to answer, but gasped instead as a frigid feeling grasped her arm. Asura had gotten back up and was about to charge, but the drums of black slime had started to churn. Something was starting to form from it.

"Get that, I'll handle the big guy!" Vaga said, then dashed past Liss without waiting for an answer. Shaking her head, Tarock spoke two words.

"Mag Step." In the blink of an eye she'd crossed the room and let the speed vanish. Couldn't afford to go burning up all her energy when she was pretty sure Vaga couldn't handle Asura on his own. "Woe! Muspell Mace!" The head of her want erupted into flames. The slime was rising up and a horse-shaped head had already started to form. Then to Tarock's horror she heard a familiar and terrifying sound in her mind.

"Rise, Pega-" the White Lady's stabbing voice from her nightmares rang in Tarock's ears.

"SHUT UP!" Tarock screamed as she swung her burning weapon through the head of the new Mythos as it was starting to solidify, then cried out. The cold feeling on her arm had been replaced by a feeling like fire. The slime was starting to bubble up again and the lids clattered off the others.

Tarock's entire arm went numb from pain. It hung by Tarock's side even as more new Mythos were starting to form from them. Terror gripped her; her body was reacting somehow to what was coming to life in those barrels, and destroying the black slime was the only way to stop it. Again and again her flaming mace flashed out, cutting through the old metal of the barrels and igniting what was inside.

The last of the black ooze burned away and Tarock clutched her arm and tried to rub some feeling back into it. Suddenly she heard a cry of surprise, and Vaga landed hard nearby. Asura flew at her, his face twisted into an angry snarl. Tarock concentrated and slipped into that strange speed of her Mag Steep power long enough to avoid his charge and drag her Pyre Brand around the ground at his feet in a circle. "Calamity! Ring of Helios!" the Fate Driver said. A jet of flame shot up from the circle and engulfed Asura.

All of a sudden the monster came flying out of the flames and grabbed Tarock by the throat and started to squeeze with his beefy hands. She gave a strangled cry then burst in a puff of smoke.

Asura rose to his full height and whirled to face Tarock and Vaga, then charged at them, swinging sword and whip and firing lightning blasts wildly from his empty hands. Tarock blurred away, and after looking on jealously for a second Vaga gasped and ducked just in time to avoid losing his head from a lightning bolt shooting past. He rolled past Asura then got to his feet and ran to where Tarock had reappeared.

Tarock hefted her wand in her left arm, finally able to feel with it again. "Let's hit him one after the other," she suggested and readied herself for her most powerful attack. "Dire Fate! Flames of Wrath!" the Fate Driver shouted. She swung the wand and shot a fireball that swelled as it flew. It exploded as it hit Asura, stopping him in his tracks for just a second, but then Tarock threw another that swelled and exploded against the monster's chest. Before he could charge again she threw another that exploded against him and knocked him back a few feet.

"Vaga Lancer! Heartseeker!" Vaga's bracelet said. His weapon morphed into its long spear form. The tip blazed with power and he stabbed Asura through the torso with all his enhanced might. Light filled the room as the spear penetrated the monster's body. Asura's mouth parted in a scream but still he held silent even as Vaga's power ripped glowing cracks in his body. Finally, the monster exploded in a burst of light.

For a minute the room was empty except for the sound of sewer water trickling in and out. Vaga looked over at Tarock as if he was about to say something.

Then the ceiling groaned and started to collapse.

* * *

><p>Harder, Jack focused his senses, annoyance building as he still registered nothing. Perhaps Shardak had been onto something when he'd warned against this after all.<p>

Still, wasn't affecting change exactly what they were hoping to accomplish? And if anyone would need to put in effort to change, it would be those who'd lived for centuries. Immortality did set one in their ways…

No wonder he couldn't focus enough to locate his errant pupil, he couldn't even focus on a single thought. Perhaps it was time to let another carry the load while he tried to master his new situation.

Jack set down his stick and rummaged around in the bundle. "Well little friend, it seems you'll need to test your wings sooner than we'd thought."

Then the ground trembled under his feet, and he had a feeling he wouldn't have to look far after all.

* * *

><p>Huge hunks of cement and dirt broke off from the ceiling of the sewer chamber, the old construction unable to withstand the awesome powers Tarock, Vaga and their opponents had unleashed in it. Tarock ran for a tunnel on the same level as them leading out of the room, with Vaga close behind. When they were a hundred feet down it, the crashing and rumbling stopped. They stopped, Tarock leaning back against the wall and looking around for a way out.<p>

Vaga gave her an appraising look. She'd gotten into the tunnel ahead of him, but hadn't used that special speed of hers when she'd run. And just before she'd made it through the opening he could've sworn he saw her look back over one shoulder at him.

"Guess we make a pretty good team after all," he said.

"Please," Tarock replied. "I had the strong monster under control all by myself. He kicked your butt all the way across the room until I came back and saved you."

"He got in one lucky hit," Vaga retorted.

"You mean you're lucky he only got in one hit."

Behind his mask, Ben smirked. "Yeah, good thing for me you got in there so quick, wasn't it? You that quick all the time?" Tarock punched him on the chest.

Then the entire world seemed to shake, knocking the two of them off their feet. There was a piercing, inhuman cry from the room that had just caved in.

Then another, just like the first.

"Looks like we're not done," Tarock said and dashed to a ladder. A second of furious climbing and she pushed open a manhole, emerging onto the street.

Nearby, the ground had caved in leaving a hole that one side of an old brick building was sliding into. But above the hole were floating a pair of large, monstrous heads like the Asura's, one with dark red skin and the other blue.

That black gem he'd pushed inside his body. That had to be the secret to how some of the Mythos could revive themselves as even larger and more powerful when they died. This was certainly a new kind of revival, though…

The red head spun to face Tarock, inflated its cheeks and spewed a jet of fire, floating closer and dragging the flames closer to her.

She shifted into Mag Step and blurred to the end of the block, but as she did she was already feeling herself weakening. She couldn't let this fight drag out much longer.

"Cups Suit!" A transparent card drifted down over her and replaced her blue armor with yellow.

"Woe! Aqua Burst!" Tarock fired a high-pressure water sphere at the head, sending it spinning for a seconds before righting itself and coming at her breathing fire again. "Woe! Hydro Jet!" Her Sea Hand fired again, this time a continuous burst that pushed back against the flames the head was spitting. Concentrating harder, Tarock's blast pushed ahead.

The blue head started to fly forward to aid the other in attacking Tarock but suddenly a glistening arrow thudded into it. It veered around and spotted Vaga, holding his Bowgun just as he launched another arrow at its eyes. The head opened its mouth wide, spraying a blast of frigid air so cold ice crystals immediately formed. Vaga's arrow froze and shattered on the ground.

Vaga gasped and ran to the side but the head tracked him, spraying its freezing breath and leaving a sheet of ice on the street behind him before catching one boot in the ice it was forming. Vaga couldn't stop himself and fell flat on his chest, pulling on the ice around his foot but unable to escape. The head opened its mouth to breathe again…

Vaga grasped his weapon and prepared himself for an effort he'd hoped he wouldn't need to try before he had a few more battles under his belt. His weapon changed back to its normal form, then he gathered all his strength and his bracelet announced, "Vaga Nova." He jabbed the Warder in the air, leaving a bright green point of light. He did so again, then again, and lines formed between the points to form a triangle. Vaga stabbed the Warder into the center and a wide circle of writhing green power formed around it.

The head sprayed its ice breath again, but the energy from the circle surged forward and plowed through it and then through the head itself. The pieces quickly disintegrated into blue smoke.

And Vaga flopped down on the asphalt, completely spent.

Tarock poured more strength into her water stream and kept pushing her opponent's flames back. She grabbed the Rend Brace with her other hand and said, "Tethys Cutter." The bracelet flashed and Tarock swung it, creating a blue blade of energy she slashed the monstrous face. It recoiled but flew by and strafed her with fire. Tarock cried out in pain and was blown off her feet. The head turned and started back.

Before it had a chance to spray its fire again Tarock aimed and the Fate Driver said, "Calamity! Jaws of Frost!" A freezing wave issued from her gauntlet and washed over the head, forming a sheath of ice. Already another jet of fire was glowing at its mouth, but it bought Tarock the second she needed to do one thing.

"Swords Suit!" Her armor changed once again, this time to the heavier red suit she'd first worn. Before the head could finish melting its way out she summoned her sword and charged.

The last of the ice had melted off and the head breathed fire at Tarock again but she brandished the Skycalibur in front of her, blocking the flames and turning the blade red hot. She jumped over the flames and slashed as hard as she could, leaving a red haze in the swords wake as it bit into the Mythos's flesh.

Before it recovered the Driver said "Thunder Lash," and the electrified coil issued from the tip of her Rend Brace. She curled it around the monster head then cracked it and sent the head spinning away.

Tarock jumped as high as she could. "Dire Fate! Strato Kick!" said her Driver. The wind roared, pushing her toward the Mythos. Her body glowed with red power as she careened into it foot-first, making it explode in a blue blaze.

* * *

><p>She waited for a minute, standing off the street and listening for any other sounds of chaos or the cold sensation that told her a Mythos was nearby. People began to peek out of windows and doorways, but of anymore Mythos, nothing. It seemed like they'd gotten them all. She un-tensed, stood up and let the Card of Swords eject into her hand. Tarock flickered away, leaving regular old Liss Decker in her place.<p>

"Well, if it isn't the unlikely hero," someone declared, and inwardly Liss groaned as she recognized the voice. Standing behind her, grinning from ear to ear and with a recorder in hand, was Sue Gand.

But she wasn't alone, and a quick flash of cold on Liss's arm told her who to expect. Jack approached with usual purposeful stride, seeming slightly more energetic than the last time she'd seen him. A few steps behind him was Ben, eyelids drooping and limping along. He kept shooting furtive glances Jack's way, and there was no sign of the confidence he'd had the night before.

"Well, well, well," Jack said as he surveyed the pit left in the wake of the latest battle. "Seems our eager young champions haven't been wasting any time."

"Excuse me for killing a monster," Liss retorted. "You and him were gonna come and clean this place out anyway, weren't you?"

"Indeed we were. Though that no longer seems necessary. And you two are to be congratulated for it," Jack said, showing a dazzling smile.

Ben looked up at the Arcanum in confusion. "Jack…?"

"I had been intending to advise as you cleaned out the Mythos nest," Jack explained, "but you found it with Liss and destroyed it on your own initiative. That's exactly the spirit we're trying to encourage, isn't it?" Ben's expression changed to one of surprise, while Sue gleefully brandished her recorder to get everything that was being said. "What's the expression? Gold Star, I believe."

"So, what now?" Ben asked. "I mean, that was supposed to be my last test, right?"

"Now, if you're still interested in helping us, I think we can discuss a few little bonuses," Jack said with a smile.

"Mr. Jack," Sue said as she rushed forward and thrust her recorder in his face, making him recoil a step. "What are you plans now that Tarock has a partner? You're trying to save your world, but monsters have started to slip through to Earth too, haven't they? What are your concerns for _our_ world, if the monsters originated on your own?" Last time Liss had seen her, when they'd ended up in the city of Avalon, Sue had made a rash decision to follow Liss through a doorway to the Sphere and lost the tools of her trade in the journey. Now she'd had time to let the strangeness settle in and prepare, and was going full force against an immortal alien.

Jack just smiled pleasantly. "I'd say you ought to direct your questions to our two young heroes. They seem to have things well in hand."

"Oh yeah?" Sue said, and turned. "How about a quote?"

"No," Liss said.

"I'll give you one, if you don't use our names," Ben said. Sue nodded, so he went on, "I and my faithful sidekick promise that no harm shall befall this city while we're still alive. Let the monsters come, Kamen Riders Vaga and Tarock will stop them called."

Sue canted her head. "Kamen?"

"It means mask. Masked. Yeah. Masked," Ben said, then braced himself for when Liss elbowed him in the stomach a second later for calling her the sidekick.

Sue chuckled, but smiled hopefully at them. "Any chance I could convince you to sit down for a more in-depth round of questions sometime?"

"No," Liss repeated.

"Tell you what," Ben replied. "How about I give you a sneak preview now and we'll talk about the full story later?" They walked off, Sue jamming her recorder in Ben's face.

Once they were a ways off, Jack leaned over and asked, "Pardon me, but I hope you won't be offended when I say I find it strange you have so little interest in gaining fame when given the opportunity."

"Look, if I can get people off their asses and doing things for themselves, great," Liss said. "But I ain't doing this to get a fanclub."

"Oh?" asked Jack.

"Yeah," Liss said, and tossed Jack a bright blue Ora Stone. He caught it, then looked at her quizzically. "A couple things on there you might want to know about," she said, then got on her bike and rode away.

* * *

><p>Liss stopped Shift Runner behind the dojo and let herself in the back like she had the night before. She glanced into the main room and saw a class was in session, so she walked upstairs and helped herself to a quick shower. After she got out, Liss looked hard at her hair in the mirror, the extra inches she grew while she was recovering from her injuries on the Sphere.<p>

It was just touching her shoulders when she'd first left, now it was moving down to her back. It looked so _girly_ as she stood there looking at herself sideways in the mirror.

And yet, her plan to find the nearest pair of scissors to get rid of it once she'd settled back in suddenly didn't seem as appealing anymore.

Liss sat out in the main room of Angelo's living space, and munched on a slightly cool Sandy Burger she'd picked up on the way back while she waited for class to let up and a chance to talk to her old teacher. Her request was bound to sound a little strange after not coming in for so long, but being determined to stick to the path she'd chosen, it only made sense.

A while later heavy footsteps ascended the stairs. Angelo entered the room, and immediately wrinkled his nose before he even turned to look at Liss. "I let you stay here for one night and you thank me by fouling up my air." He looked in the rash and knitted and his brow at the logo on the bag.

"I had to go out for a while, and I got hungry," Liss explained.

"I wouldn't be much of a host if I made you eat that garbage," Angelo said and took a seat across from her. "What was it you needed to talk to me about before?" he asked.

Liss sighed and took a second to make sure she didn't let anything come out wrong. "Well, you know about me, and the armor, and the monsters…the basics, right?"

He nodded, saying nothing, so Liss went on.

"I'm going to keep fighting them, sensei. But they're probably just going to keep getting stronger," Liss said. "And I need you to help me get stronger too."

Angelo smiled faintly and nodded. "That sounds good. Let me make something clear right now, though. You aren't too big on rules from what I hear, but there's gonna be rules to this. No getting up at 5:30 in the morning to make you run a marathon, but there's gonna be rules."

"Yeah?" Liss asked.

"Yeah," Angelo replied. "First rule, no more eating at Sandy Burger."

"Kinda figured it might be," Liss replied.

Angelo arched an eyebrow. "And you still did it, huh?"

Liss shrugged. "I'm a free spirit," she said.

"That's an interesting name for it," Angelo replied. "But that's what those magic guys are banking on, I bet. All right. Meet me downstairs in an hour and a half. Class'll be over then, and we can see how much catchin' up you really need."

Liss nodded and smiled just a bit. "Thanks, sensei."

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

(Ben and Jack emerge from a forest trail to a fortified town)

Ben: So we're here to kill a monster.

(A man with an eyepatch and a black mustache watches them walk by while he hides)

Jack: We're here to save lives. And start a movement.

(A wolf-like silhouette stands on a hill)

Man: You'll never leave this place alive…

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

* * *

><p>Hey again, sorry if this one's pretty long. I thought it was necessary to communicate how formidable the Mythos are getting. Also, as you've probably noticed I've codified Liss's attacks. "Woe" means a weak special move, "Calamity" is a heavy attack, and "Dire Fate" are her strongest attacks that work as finishers.<p> 


	13. Chapter 13: Foul Moon

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Thirteen: Foul Moon

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

But as she battled the Mythos and searched for the special cards that were the keys to unlocking each of Tarock's special powers, Liss found her self-righteousness shaken by the gratitude of the beleaguered people of the Sphere. After spending weeks recovering from a terrible battle she returned to Earth only to find the Arcana who'd been hoping to have her champion their cause had appointed another warrior who happened to be Ben Corland, her obnoxious ex-boyfriend.

But Ben persuaded Liss to come with him to where a monster hideout was in the city sewers that he was meant to destroy as his "final exam." The Arcanum named Jack was pleased at their initiative at not waiting for his guidance to find the hideout and destroy it, but after the battle Liss left him a recording revealing the nature of the Mythos's leader…

* * *

><p>"…How long have you and Tarock been partnered? Just how many of those monsters have you fought together?" Sue Gand fired off questions one after another, hardly giving Ben a second to recover after answering the last question she'd fired at him.<p>

He gave her his most winning smile and said, "We've been operating on our own mostly, but after today I'm seeing an even stronger force protecting this city. But Hopefully not caving in the ground anywhere else."

As confident as he managed to sound, Ben was hoping Sue planned to call it a day soon. His vision was a blurred on the edges and his feet felt like he was dragging lead weights. That attack he'd used to destroy his last enemy had taken a lot out of him.

Sue was smiling at his answers, though. He hoped that meant she had enough for her next piece and was willing to leave him and Liss be. "Interesting," she said. "What exactly are you planning next, now that Tarock's back from the other world?"

"As soon as we've had a chance to get that all mapped out, you'll be the first person we tell," Ben said, sweating inwardly. How long could she keep this up? Probably a pretty long time…

She nodded and clicked off her recorder. "I'm holding you to that, son," she said, and Ben scowled lightly at her choice of word. "Can I get your number?"

"Uh, well," Ben said, "My phone sort of got broke when the monsters attacked the school. And my folks…"

"They don't know about your powers," Sue finished for him. "This is a hell of a thing you're asking me to walk away from with no way to follow up."

Ben smiled and spread his arms. "We're supposed to help inspire people," he replied. "That's easier if people know about what we're doing right? We'll be in touch, Sue." He turned around to walk back and discuss things with Jack, but the strange traveler was gone.

* * *

><p>As they watched, the strange plant-creature helped the woman out of the coffin, then she jumped down and walked out of sight. The projection from the blue Ora Stone flickered away, but its meaning was not lost on its observers.<p>

"This is unsettling news," said the image of Master Shardak, stroking at his ghostly beard. Although certainly the old wizard had heard plenty of that sort of news of late.

"Indeed," Jack told his old friend. "I can only venture to guess how long ago this took place before Liss discovered it, and that was weeks ago."

Shardak nodded thoughtfully. "How's she recovering?"

Jack chuckled lightly. "Well enough to be hunting down Mythos on her own with our other new champion. They found the nest all by themselves and defeated a rather nasty Mythos that was guarding it. They're doing quite well."

"Good, good," Shardak said. "Then hopefully we can afford to step things up. I fear the Mythos have had much more time to consolidate their power than we thought."

"Indeed," Jack agreed. "Is our little masterpiece ready?"

"A few more hours and it'll be finished," Shardak promised. "Shall we summon our young champions now to move forward with the now, do you think?"

Jack canted his head and fixed the visage of the wizard with a strange look. "I thought these were your plans."

"I'm not here to give orders," Shardak sighed. "We're trying to lessen people's dependence on the protection of the immortals, aren't we?"

Again, Jack chuckled. "True enough, true enough. But no, not yet. Someone's needed to guard the other side if the Mythos are indeed making use of it themselves, and another night at home is the least we can do for Benjamin, with what we're asking of him."

* * *

><p>Ben Corland was up unusually early the next morning, a Sunday. He was out the door before his parents even tried to wake him up. He went over to the kung fu school where he'd seen Liss go the other night, but the person who answered when he bounced a rock off the window this time was a hulking black man who said nothing but gave Ben a look so menacing he was a little surprised he didn't burst into flames right there. This was clearly someone only an idiot would mess with.<br>So Ben didn't. He ambled away slowly so he wouldn't look intimidated, and once he was out of sight of the school he dialed Liss's number on his phone that wasn't broken despite what he'd told Sue Gand. It was still there, after all this time.

But Liss didn't answer even after two tries to dial her. Was she ducking him? Especially after finding out he had powers now too? That wasn't what was supposed to happen…

Just then there was a strange tingle in the air, not like the weird "stretching" feeling of the area around him when someone was about to arrive from the Sphere. Ben spotted the cause a second later when blurred figure rounded the end of the street and came toward him. He was grabbing at his transformation card when the blur slowed, revealing itself to be Jack. The Arcanum smiled as he stopped a few feet away from his protégé.

"Ready to defend yourself at a moment's notice, eh?" Jack asked.

"You didn't hire just any idiot off the street, ya know."

Jack tossed back his head and laughed, and for his part Ben wondered how his hat didn't fall off when he leaned that far back. "Hired, eh?" Jack grinned. "Next you'll be telling me we're not paying you enough!"

Ben clenched his teeth at that. "I got my reasons for wanting in on this."

A somber expression slowly spread across Jack's face. "Good, because thanks to Liss's efforts we've made an unpleasant discovery. The Mythos do indeed have a leader, and she's likely been free and directing their actions for quite some time now."

"And what's that mean for us?" Ben asked.

"It means we dare wait no longer in going to the Sphere," Jack answered. "If the Mythos have a leader of some sort, and she's been free for some time now, we can't afford to wait to look into this and gather our forces."

"Great! Let's go get Liss!" Ben exclaimed, but Jack grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Now that Liss is back she can be contacted whenever she's needed, and who will protect your city if both of you are on the Sphere?" asked Jack.

Angrily, Ben pulled away from Jack's grip. "You said I'd be helping her fight!" he protested.

"We said you'd be helping to fight the Mythos," Jack corrected him, his look turning disapproving. "Are you in, or are you out?"

His fists balled in anger at Jack's question, but Ben ultimately sighed in defeat. Jack had a point: the snake-hair lady and the Gremlin hadn't been the only monsters he'd fought before Liss came back. There would be probably others. Someone had to be around if one showed up.

And most importantly, there was _that_. He couldn't let this be taken away. It was his only shot. "Okay, fine. But what about those rewards you promised us?" Ben reminded him.

A smile returned to Jack's face, even if it was tinged with a bit of weariness. "Yes, indeed." He reached into his bag and pulled out two white cards he handed to Ben. One had a picture of a moth on it, and the other a snake.

Ben couldn't help grinning. "The Wild Cards are ready?" he asked. Jack had said his partner had been working on these, special cards that could be changed into a small animal and sent to search for anything he needed to find. Having a couple extra pairs of eyes would sure come in handy in a weird place like the one Jack wanted them to save.

"And that's not all," Jack promised. "Shall we be off, Master Ben?"

Ben waved his card in front of his bracelet. "Change, VAGA!" it said, and in a green flash he was garbed in his armor once again. The air around them felt as if it was stretching, and then they were gone from where they'd been, and flying through the black void outside the transparent wall of the Sphere. With the protection of their powers they flew through the wall as if it wasn't even there and came down near barren hillside. Jack, with Vaga behind him, walked right through it into a small cave.

It had certainly changed a lot since Ben had been brought there to meet Jack's partner for the first time. Thanks to him, that was. In the center of the cave was a small rock pedestal, but now arranged in a circled around it were several rounded gems of various colors, along with a similar circle jutting from the ceiling. Above the pedestal floated a ghostly bearded face, but this time he looked at them with alert eyes.

"You're here a bit sooner than I would've expected," said Master Shardak, stroking a transparent hand through his transparent beard.

"Liss and me went and trashed that monster hideout by ourselves," Vaga declared.

Jack nodded with a light smile. "Indeed. Commendable initiative, wouldn't you say, Shardak?" Then his face turned serious. "But we are here for more serious reasons, after all. Is the Air Talon ready?"

"The what?" Vaga asked.

"Yes, it's ready," Shardak answered. He unfolded the fingers of one hand and dropped something small onto the floor. Within seconds it grew into a metal-skinned creature with the body of a lion and face and wings of an eagle. Jack had made Vaga fight plenty of those during his training: it was a Gryphon.

Jack placed a hand on Vaga's shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. "Listen closely Ben, because this is very important. This, Ben, is the Air Talon. He'll take you to a fortress a ways away. Find a man there named Valerian, and convince him to come to Avalon. He's been investigating ways to create more powerful weapons, and what he's discovered is crucial to fighting off the Mythos."

"What about you?" Vaga asked, looking down uncertainly at the metal creature they were asking him to ride.

"I have others I need to contact," Jack said matter-of-factly. "We are much further behind the Mythos than I already feared. Find Valerian, then we'll speak again." Then Jack left the cave, moving with incredible speed, but still looking as if he was only walking as he receded toward the horizon.

Vaga just stood there for a second, staring at the opening after Jack had disappeared from sight. "If he gave most of his power to me, how can he still do that?" Vaga muttered.

A soft chuckle escaped Shardak's image. "I hear knowledge is power, young one. And Jack's been walking and learning for a very long time…"

"Uh…sure," Vaga said. He'd only met what was left of the wizard a few times, but knowing he was in the presence of a real one had made his skin crawl even then. Wizards usually turned guys like him into geckos, or something stupid like that, didn't they?

And he'd just been worried about that when Shardak could barely use his powers anymore, before Jack had had Ben help him put those Ora Stones in the cave to help Shardak magnify his powers. Enough so that he could create things like the Wild Cards and the metal creature nudging Vaga's back with a paw, with enough time. What might he do if Vaga didn't laugh at his jokes?

"Yeah…maybe I'd better go for a walk too, see if I learn anything," Vaga replied.

Master Shardak smiled slightly behind his beard. "You'll get there faster if you let him do the walking."

Vaga looked down and the metal Gryphon looked him in straight back in the eye. It didn't seem fair: Liss got a kickass motorcycle, and he got a bird-lion? Still, it looked him in the eye and he could see intelligence and devotion that put both German Shepherds he'd owned to shame. The Gryphon, the Air Talon, lowered itself to the ground, and with hesitation Vaga climbed onto its back.

Then Air Talon galloped through the hills. After a little while, Vaga even started to enjoy the speed. No wonder Liss had wanted this. The incredible strength, speed, power they had now…he felt like he could do anything.

And he would.

* * *

><p>The sentinel's replacement walked past Valerian's door while the old soldier drew listlessly at some of his notes. He'd volunteered for this, he dimly remembered. To go someplace isolated with a handful of his fellows to devise new defenses while eliminating distractions. That had been before the Mythos had resurfaced, when all he'd thought he'd have to worry about was a distant possibility the empress of Mazones might finally go over the edge and declare war. Something to keep a few aging members of the army busy.<p>

"Val?" asked Jaxom, the bags under his eyes seeming even bigger and darker than the last time they'd seen each other. "We were gonna try to make a run for it tomorrow…" he said, trailing off, and they both knew why.

They'd "tried to make a run for it" twice already, to get back to Avalon and some semblance of safety. Almost as soon as they'd gotten outside the walls of the old fortress, they'd known they were being trailed. It seemed like the Mythos had only waited so long to launch their attack to make Valerian and his comrades stew in knowing it could happen at any time as long as possible.

"And why is this one going to succeed?" Valerian said, not even looking up from his figures.

Jaxom frowned at that response. "It's better than sitting here waiting for them to break their way in."

"Is it?" Valerian said, still not looking away as he completed a diagram.

"You ask that, and yet you keep making those damned doodles of yours we came up to let you work on in the first place!" Jaxom shouted.

Gently, Valerian set down his pen, rolled up the plans and put them into a bin with the others. He took another roll of paper out, spread it on the table in front of him and started writing on that one. "Because," he said, "we can hide these away if nothing else, and others might come one day and find what we've planned."

A few minutes passed, and Valerian realized Jaxom had walked away. It didn't matter, he had a few insights to finish recording, and unless Avalon could actually spare any of its defenders to come and retrieve them, the fortress would eventually be their tomb.

* * *

><p>Not long after, Valerian walked along the outer wall of the fortress. When they'd first arrived the thick forest surrounding them, split only by a single road that the forest had started to reclaim long ago, had seemed peaceful and revitalizing. Now, he scarcely even dared to guess<p>

how many Mythos were staring at him, waiting for the most shocking chance to attack.

Maybe Jaxom and the others were right, though. Had it truly been so long that he had no desire to resist, to deny his enemies their goal? Was he just going to piss away the time he had left waiting for the Mythos to break in and drop the axe on him?

All of a sudden, Valerian could feel his old soldier's instincts coming back to life. He could definitely feel someone nearby watching him. He turned slowly so not to betray his awareness, then saw a group of four men in tattered uniforms standing just at the edge of the trees. The one in front of the group had a patch over his left eye and a thin black mustache. It took Valerian a minute to recognize him; the man had been at least twenty-five years older the last time they'd seen each other.

And that had been on their last attempt to flee to Avalon.

"Saal…?" Valerian asked guardedly. Affen. Eldurn. Nicode. They'd all been lost during the group's attempt to make it to safety.

The man with the mustache nodded and smiled. "You're looking spry, old friend," he said.

"You as well," Valerian said. "I suppose you've come to tell me how."

"So suspicious after what we've been through?" Saal asked, and held up a dark metal cross. "Remember when I got this? For saving your sorry behind when we were bringing those families back from Raijan?" Valerian did. The hand holding up the medal was even missing the two bottom fingers Saal had lost in that trip.

Valerian frowned. "Yes, I'm suspicious. You died a week ago. I saw you fall."

A few of the soldiers chortled, Saal among them. "You think so lowly of someone who's been on as many battlefields as we have, and always managed to return to tell the tale? We survived because we're strong, and as it so happens we're stronger than ever now. And this is a strength my brothers deserve to share. Tell the others we will return."

Valerian blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, they were gone.

* * *

><p>His mount slowed as they entered the forest even though the road they were following was wide and clear. Vaga didn't blame the Gryphon, with how literally anything could be waiting for them, and he had no desire to go barreling into a Mythos ambush.<p>

A tense while later, something huge and gray in the middle of the forest road came into view. It was an old stone fortress, which looked strangely empty. Its metal-bound doors were closed tight, but Air Talon stopped when they were about fifty feet away from the wall. Then all of a sudden it jumped, spread its wings and glided over the wall, landing in the courtyard. A surprised Vaga suddenly finding himself with a bearded man brandishing a glowing blue pike in his face.

But with superhuman speed Vaga drew his Warder and swiped it in front of him, forming a transparent barrier that was only there for a second, but that was long enough to deflect the burst of electricity aimed at his face. "Hey! I'm a good guy!" Vaga cried.

A blast of electricity caught him across the shoulders. Not much more than a painful sting through his armor, but he jumped off Air Talon's back and turned to face another bearded man carrying another glowing spear. And then another emerged from the shadows, and moved to surround Vaga, but he easily jumped over their heads to get a little breathing room. "I said, I'm a good guy!" Vaga insisted. "I'm here looking for a guy named Valerian!"

The first man appraised him suspiciously. "Who sent you?"

"Jack did," Vaga answered.

"Jack?"

"Yeah. Him and Shardak," he added, with Jack's name not seeming to get a reaction out of them.

The men raised their spears straight up, and away from Vaga. "If you're on our side, take off that fancy armor and prove it," the first one who'd attacked him said. Slowly Vaga raised the wrist with his bracelet and then held his free hand in front of it. His transformation card appeared in his fingers, the glow on his bracelet's stone went out and Vaga flickered away, leaving Ben Corland in his place.

"Doesn't look like any Mythos I ever heard of," one of the men said. "But what about this animal of his?" Air Talon hissed at the question.

"Shardak made him," Ben replied.

The men exchanged glances. "Why has Shardak sent you here, boy?"

"I'm here to find a guy named Valerian and make sure he gets to Avalon in one piece," Ben answered. "They need him to help make new weapons, or something like that."

Again the men exchanged glances. Another of them stepped forward, his beard gray and his eyes weary. "Telling, wouldn't you say? Avalon sends no one to help us, but a renegade Arcanum does. And he's confident enough in a single boy to be our savior."

"I ain't no frigging kid!" said Ben. "I bet I killed more monsters'n you!"

"I bet that would be true if I had that fancy suit of yours," the man retorted.

"Leave him be, Leson!" one of the other said, but Leson ignored him and took a menacing step closer to Ben. Air Talon tackled him to the ground, hissing angrily. The other men leveled their spears, but another man sighed and smacked the closest of them on the back of the head.

"Help's finally come and this is how you react?" he said reproachfully. "What fools have we become?"

"Fools enough to agree to come this far from Avalon," said one of the men.

_Fools enough? Who talks like that?_ Ben thought, and caught himself right when he was about to look over at Air Talon and see what the Gryphon thought of the remark.

The man who'd rebuked the others sighed. "I'm Valerian, young man. You seem to have some formidable powers."

"I wasn't even getting started," Ben said. "But that's because I'm a good guy, like I said."

Valerian looked Ben hard in the face, and Ben did his best to look confident. Then he looked up at the other soldiers. "What do you say, fellows? Can we trust this…young champion?" As he spoke he turned to face Ben again, staring hard at the young man. Ben swallowed and steeled himself, thinking over and over to look as confident and heroic as he could.

"Beats waiting for the Mythos to send something big enough to smash through the walls," said one, and his sentiment was echoed by several of the others.

"Then let's prepare," Valerian said. "The sooner we're gone, the better. Young man, you come with me."

* * *

><p>"So, what? Is there some kind of super-secret thing you need to trust me with in case anything bad happens?" Ben asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the other soldiers. He froze as Valerian turned and looked him in the eye.<p>

"Why are you doing this, boy?" he demanded.

Ben hid most of a wince. "I told you, I'm a good guy. They help people in trouble. We help people in trouble, I mean."

"Boy, I've seen your like a thousand times. You want me to think you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart, that you're a normal kid who just couldn't stand the chaos he was seeing anymore. You're not. Why are you here?'

"Look, mister, I just want-"

"_Cut the crap, __**boy**_," Valerian snapped. "You want me and my friends to put our lives in your hands, a little honesty would be appreciated."

Ben sighed and clenched his eyes for a second. "There's this girl," he answered. "She's the new Tarock. And I want to show her how brave I can be too."

"I see. And the suit, and the Gryphon? Those make you brave?"

Ben opened his eyes but looked away from Valerian's face. "Look, this is the only way I can keep up with her! She's the new _Tarock_!"

Valerian shook his head slowly. "Tarock? Son, do you have any conception of what you've gotten involved with?"

Immediately Ben nodded in answer. "Yeah. I'm helping Liss save people and fight monsters."

A silent moment passed, during which Valerian gave Ben another hard, penetrating look. "Gods, you're serious about this, aren't you, **son**?" Valerian finally said, laying heavy emphasis on the last word. "But you're probably the only salvation that's coming. Help me get some things together and we'll go."

But Ben clamped a hand on Valerian's shoulder. "Hey, I notice stuff too old man. Like you wanna go right now instead of tomorrow morning. What was up with that?" he demanded.

With a sigh, Valerian pulled away from Ben. "It's because I saw someone not long ago, who I shouldn't have been able to see. He said he'd be back soon, and I have no intention of being here when he does."

Ben nodded. "Guess we better get going."

"Yes, guess we'd better," Valerian agreed.

* * *

><p>As the old soldiers finished gathering everything they dared to bring, Ben took out the pair of cards Jack had given him. He focused on the flat images of the moth and the snake, and pushed a tiny bit of his vital energy into each. The cards glowed for a moment then changed into a red-scaled snake and green-winged moth, both seeming to be made of thin sheets of transparent crystal.<p>

"Okay guys, head into the woods and keep an eye out for any monsters," Ben directed them, but they were already vanishing into the trees before Ben had finished talking.

Forty-five minutes later, Ben was at the head of a ragged procession of old soldiers, Valerian leading behind him. Air Talon brought up the rear, a couple long cases strapped to his back while Ben and Valerian carried similar cases themselves. Inside were the weapon designs Valerian had been working on.

They were a few miles from the fortress already, and the trees were starting to thin out. That was a good sign, Ben figured, if they hadn't been attacked when hiding places were everywhere. Out on the grasslands the Mythos would be easier to see coming. If they were even still thinking about attacking the group with Ben around to take care of any monsters that showed up, that was.

"I don't like it," murmured Leson, lifting his spear off his shoulder. "We never made it this far before without walking into an ambush…"

"You never had a super-strong ass kicker like me watching out for you either," Ben said. "I got eyes everywhere."

"Oh wonderful, another one of these," the soldier said with disgust. "A kid who's just grown his first beard and thinks that means he can beat the whole world."

Ben glared over his shoulder at Leson, but didn't say anything. He wasn't in this to impress some old man. But as he walked, he made a point to look into the trees for anything moving in the shadows, including a flash of color from the little spies he'd sent.

A while later the trees ended completely, and still no sign of any Mythos. The sky above was starting to darken and the glowing crescent shape was glowing the brightest of the three shapes in the sky. "Do we make camp now?" one of the soldiers asked. "I'm not the daring young warrior I once was."

"There's a defensible cave about an hour's walk from here," Valerian said. "We should wait until we get there, at least."

Leson stamped the butt of his spear on a rock. "We should settle something far more important right now. Why are we entrusting our protection to this _boy_? Give me that bracelet of his, let someone who knows how to use it see to our protection."

In a blink Ben's transformation card was in his hand. "You want it, you're gonna have to take it from me, old man." Then he looked away as he spotted a frantic flashing of light coming from the trees. The Wild Cards had spotted something dangerous. "We're about to get jumped!"

The tip of Leson's spear swung at Ben, singing the hair on his arm. "That's all the reason you need to give that trinket of yours to a real soldier, boy."

"Stop this!" Valerian yelled. "Leson! He won't betray us. He has a goal he's too dedicated to."

"And what could inspires such unshakable loyalty?" a voice called out from behind the group. They turned, and there stood four men in the same uniform as Valerian and his comrades, but dirty and torn. The one in front had a thick black mustache and a patch covering his left eye. "Valerian, you didn't even tell the others of my offer, did you? Youth, power, immortality…and you not only ignore it, you run from it!" He clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"Saal?" someone asked, nervously.

The man with the patch smiled. An evil, superior smile. "That and so much more now, my friends! Valerian seems hesitant, but I can give you back the strength time's taken from your bodies! Even you, young man! You think you've tasted power, but with what I've been granted, you could be a _god_!"

Tightly, Ben gripped his transformation card and raised it in front of his bracelet. "I don't want anything you're giving away, asshole," he said.

"Then perhaps a demonstration will move your minds more than just promises," Saal smiled, and he exposed the long fangs he'd suddenly grown.

"Change, Vaga!" Ben yelled. The card had vanished from his hand and seconds later his armor had formed around him. Saal and the other men with him were far along into their own change, their faces having become those of snarling wolves, and their hands ending in claws and their feet in digitrade paws. Saal himself had a thick golden fur, while the other three were a strange dark blue.

Leson had already leveled his spear at them and fired off an electric burst, but the wolves seemed to disappear from where they were gathered and then reappear all over the area. One of them ripped Leson's spear from his hands, then sent a fountain of blood into the air with a swipe of claws.

The other two wolves surrounded Air Talon, and Vaga rushed to help when Saal jumped in front of him and knocked the young warrior down with a powerful kick. "The Arcana's power is nothing compared to ours, boy!" he snarled.

"Vaga Bowgun," said a voice, and Vaga suddenly whipped around and fired a glowing arrow that blew Saal off his feet.

"Call me 'boy' again, asshole. I dare you!" Vaga yelled. Saal looked at Vaga with glowing red eyes, then there was a flash, a burst of agonizing pain across Vaga's chest and arms, and he was flying backward. He came back to earth with a powerful crash, and could see Saal standing a ways away before glowing darts shot from his fingers. Vaga changed his weapon back to its Warder form and waved it around to block Saal's shots which exploded harmlessly at his feet this time.

Saal raised his claws and was about to fire again when something bright green zipped in front of his face. He swatted at it but while he was distracted a red snake slithered out of the grass and sank its fangs into his ankle, and he howled in surprise. The Wild Cards were coming to help Vaga again, and he wasn't going to let their effort go to waste. He dashed up to Saal and changed his weapon into its rapier form before slashing it quickly across Saal's chest six times before the monster could retaliate. A fierce kick from Vaga knocked the wolfman onto his back.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile the other three wolves circled around Air Talon. Suddenly one sprang, aiming its claws not at the Gryphon but the straps of the bags slung across its back. But just as suddenly Air Talon jumped as well, smacking the wolfman out of the air with a powerful swipe, then mauling the fallen monster until blue ooze coated its metal paws. The other wolfmen tackled it and the three of them went tumbling down a hill, spilling the sheafs of weapon plans everywhere.<p>

The wolves' claws raked across Air Talon's sides, sending up sparks. As they stopped at the bottom the two Mythos were on top of Air Talon's belly but it vaulted them off with its hind legs. By the time it righted itself so had the wolfmen, and one threw himself at Air Talon while the other turned and dashed for the fallen weapon plans. Air Talon sank back for a second then stretched out its head and bit the attacking wolfman on the neck. The wolfman howled as blue blood oozed down his neck from the bite, and Air Talon raised a glowing paw and swatted him into the air.

Air Talon screeched at the last wolfman, who looked up and saw his comrade lying on the ground seventy-five feet away and already starting to dissolve into blue smoke. For just a second he hesitated, and in that second Air Talon splayed its wings and jumped, tackling the wolf. Its claws glowed as it came down and smashed the last wolf to the ground.

And all was quiet except for the sounds of battle from on top of the hill.

* * *

><p>Again Saal's claws raked across Vaga's armor leaving vivid gashes. They hadn't gotten through yet, but as the battle continued to rage Vaga's strength was starting to dwindle. Yet he refused to give into the urge to sink to his knees and let it end. Another swipe came but Vaga swung his sword at Saal's arm and the tip sank into the inside of the wolfman's elbow. Saal jerked his arm back in pain and Vaga delivered a scissor kick to Saal's jaw.<p>

But in the blink of an eye Saal was back on his feet again. He dropped to all fours and charged Vaga. "Vaga Lancer," announced Vaga's bracelet and it shifted into the form of a long spear. He jabbed at Saal's side and the golden wolf darted away from Vaga's attack, but this gave Vaga the second he needed to gather his strength for the blow that he hoped would end this fight.

"Vaga Punch," his bracelet said as he concentrated completely on his attack. Saal snarled and lunged at Vaga, who threw his weapon aside and punched as hard as he could. His fist connected with Saal and an explosion of green light ripped through the prairie around them. Saal went flying back and only had time to look up at Vaga in disbelief at his defeat before he fell down, and this time he didn't get up again.

Blue smoke started to rise from Saal's body as it always had when Vaga had killed a Mythos before. As the body disintegrated this time, it wasn't like the others where nothing was left but a spot of blackened ground. Once the monster's body was gone and the smoke was cleared, the body of an elderly man with gray hair, a moustache and a scarred left eye was left in his place.

Valerian descended the hill, but stopped when he saw Vaga looking down at the corpse. A minute later he came down and stood next to Vaga. "What troubles you, son?" Valerian asked.

"That wasn't just a monster who could make himself look like a real person," Vaga breathed. "It was a real person the Mythos was controlling."

Valerian nodded. Vaga didn't say anything for a while, then asked, "What now?"

"First, let's gather up the blueprints. Then, I'd say we should bury them," Valerian answered. "It's the least we can do."

* * *

><p>A few hours later Ben and the soldiers were at the cave where they'd be spending the night. The dirt from the graves was still all over their arms and coating the insides of their fingernails.<p>

Some of the men stayed up a while, discussing how seeing Vaga and Air Talon in battle had fired their old soldier's blood and made them eager for the rest of the trip to Avalon. Ben barely heard it, deciding to turn in early.

When he closed his eyes all he could see was the sight of Saal's corpse lying there, cleansed of the influence of the Mythos. But had he killed a man, or saved him from damnation? Was the Mythos possessing people something Jack and Shardak knew about and didn't tell him? Would it try to tempt him, and would his powers protect him if it did?

He had to have faith they would, Ben reminded himself. This was his big chance. He had to see it through to the end.

He had to.

He had to…

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

(Liss faces down the White Lady, then wakes up breathing heavily)

Liss: Why do I keep seeing her when I'm asleep…?

(Ven and Donis stand before the Arcana who gave them their powers and are given new weapons, a bow and a saw-edged dagger)

Empress Maeve: Take these and find the lost soul before the Mythos do.

(Ven and Donis arrive at a fort, and a soldier standing behind them changes into a faceless white Mythos)

White Lady: Scramble as fast as you can, you're too far behind.

(In her Swords Form, Tarock faces a shadowed Mythos in a long cloak and wielding a staff with a glowing purple gem on the top)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

* * *

><p>This chapter's an homage to episode #39 of the original Kamen Rider.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14: Incentives

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Fourteen: Incentives

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Expecting mostly battle, Liss was surprised to encounter people who saw her as a powerful ally and savior for fighting the Mythos. She found more than her share of enemies as well, including the people of the city of Mazones, ruled by Arcana who considered Tarock a menace for killing one of their number ages ago. After a shaking experience in Mazones, Liss returned to Earth recover.

There she learned that while she'd been away, her ex-boyfriend Ben had been given similar powers to hers as the new hero Vaga. A role he'd accepted trying to win her back. Ben journeyed to the Sphere to help return a weapon designer working in isolation to safety so that his work could help benefit the fight against the Mythos. In the process Ben fended off a threatening Loup Garou Mythos, but began to doubt his dedication when he learned Mythos can take over the bodies of ordinary people and he'd killed such a person.

* * *

><p>Everything was silent. It was a different kind of demonstration than she'd been asked to make after she put on her belt, but one she was sure she'd have no problem with.<p>

"All right Liss, begin."

"H'RAH!"

Liss threw her hardest punch, then turned and launched into a spinning kicking the other direction. She shouted as she launched a series of palm strikes then a swift and vicious leg sweep. Then she turned and blocked an unseen blow on her arm and thrust her other hand forward in a blow to her attacker's solar plexus. She turned again, spinning her foot high in the air, then bringing it down with all her strength.

Her foot landed with an impact that seemed to echo against the silence of rhw dojo, even though she'd gone through her routine on one of the long foam mats. It wasn't entirely accurate to say every eye in the room was on her. A few of the students looked as if they were trying to gauge if they could get to the door first if their instructor were to spring.

Not surprisingly, it was Sensei who broke the silence. "Not bad, Liss. Maybe a little less intensity next time, though?" he suggested. "This is only practice, after all."

"If you're not giving it everything you got, what's the point?" Liss asked. "Isn't that what you always say, Sensei?"

"Showing up for every lesson and sticking to the practice was more what I meant," he said, but clapped his hand loud for the class's attention. "All right everybody, pair off and start practicing that block and counterattack from Liss's demonstration. Once everybody's got that down we'll move onto the next step."

Liss and Angelo walked slowly between the two rows the students formed and inspected their technique. Liss was halfway down one row when the girl she was next to mumbled something in her direction.

"What?" Liss asked.

"Do you really fight monsters?" the girl asked, a little louder, as she threw another punch for her partner to block.

Liss nodded slowly. "Yeah, I fight monsters," she replied. "Sometimes I meet people who think I'm a monster, and I have to fight them too." She thought back on the sight of Rexia, the girl who'd helped her to recover from injuries while she'd been forced to hide out on the Sphere, just sitting there refusing to look at Liss after she'd revealed she was the new Tarock.

"Why do they think you're a monster?" asked the other kid, blocking the fake punch and then extending her palm to the first girl's midriff.

"Because the first guy who had my powers killed one of them, and they think because I have the same powers, I want to kill them too."

The two students stopped, looked at each other for a second then back at Liss. "Richie told us he doesn't think you act like a superhero." Liss looked down the line at a mat near the end, and the sour-faced boy looked back at her for a second before he and his partner continued their practice. Liss knew the kid. His last name started with a P, she thought. He hadn't exactly been excited to have her as an assistant instructor, it was true.

"Yeah, well," Liss said, "Maybe he's right, and that's not the best name for me."

A loud clap interrupted them. "Liss!" said Angelo. "I'm sure they're glad for the personal attention but you're here to help everyone." She started walking the rows again, helping a few of the students to correct their postures as they practiced the move.

As she passed Angelo, Liss asked, "Sparring tonight?"

He nodded. "Of course."

* * *

><p>Uneasily, Lurian and Nema, or as they were better known, the warriors Ven and Donis, sank to their knees in deference. In front of them were their patrons, the Arcana Mila and Felco, hands and feet joined together in strange orbs, locked in an eternal embrace.<p>

"We have observed your progress," Felco began, "and-"

"…We're not what you're looking for after all?" Nema asked suddenly, a bit brusquely. Lurian gave her a disbelieving look, but she never had been one to waste others' time.

"_Inadequately prepared for the task you were given_," Mila corrected her, sharply. "We understand the passions that bind two souls, but we, alas, did not create you understanding much in the matters of war. However, we have been given a greater understanding by others with greater understanding than ours, and have seen fit to better equip you."

Energy flashed from Mila and Felco's eyes to their followers' hands. Then everything seemed to go white for a second, and the energy had solidified.

Nema slowly curled her fingers around the haft of a dagger with a serrated blade. "This is the Ven Gasher," Mila explained. "It can pierce all but the strongest armor, but like Ven herself it is mightiest when wielded by many at once."

In Lurian's hands was a simple bow but made of a wood that looked almost as if it was made of the purest gold. "And this is the Bough of Grace," said Felco. "It must gather its strength between each shot, but when it finds its mark it will devastate."

"Thank you for these mighty gifts. With them we will surely perform better," Lurian said in a placating tone.

"That is not all," Mila and Felco said as one. "But this is the last remembrance you'll receive for free."

There was another flash and suddenly they weren't in a guest chamber in the Empress's palace anymore. Nema and Lurian were in the small house near the edge of the Mazones city wall. It wasn't much, but it was theirs. Houses near the perimeter were cheaper, and they'd decided to make do with the substandard housing since they'd have more to save for their child's upbringing.

The same child, along with many others, that Lurian was marching out with the rest of his garrison to recover from Raijan. The warlord who'd clawed his way to the top of that filthy city-state was claiming his successful capture of a number of families from Mazones had proven the Arcana were weak, and he was calling for the common people to rebel and assert their dominance over the Sphere. This was the response he was getting.

"Don't worry, my love," Lurian said. And despite the fact that their daughter was in the hands of a madman, Lurian looked so invincible in his fresh new uniform, had such a confident smile on his face, Nema couldn't find it in herself to do anything but believe that everything was going to be all right. Even as the scene faded and they were back in the presence of their patrons, Nema looked over at her husband with a glimmer of that same respect and hope.

Even remembering what news Lurian had when he came back…

* * *

><p>Empress Maeve did a poor job hiding her annoyance at the face greeting her in the image she'd managed to link between her own chambers and Avalon, their world's other major city-state. Namely, it wasn't the Emperor. It was one of his military officers Uthar, a strong and she supposed handsome young man in a dirt-smudged military uniform. His hair was a luxurious red-brown, and his face was strong but haggard from constant battle. Probably how he'd achieved his rank at his tender age.<p>

"And I tell you no matter how pure your intentions, _your imperial majesty,_" Uthar said, "the Emperor is not here. He's away for a few days renewing himself after the spate of Mythos attacks we've weathered. I'll be happy to deliver any requests you'd like to make of him."

"This is not a request," Maeve replied coolly. "We've identified the true source of the Mythos' power and need to muster every possible force to find her before these attacks that have led him to take this retreat of his have a chance to worsen. I need to speak with him about that _now_."

Uthar gave a barely veiled glare before he replied. "Since you understand the gravity of the threat, surely you appreciate the importance of not ostracizing any possible allies, _Empress_.

"I will pass on your desire to speak to the Emperor when he returns. Until then, I must see to the wounded. I wish you safety, Empress," Uthar said, then walked away.

Maeve clenched her teeth but fell back on her throne in resignation. Finally they had some idea where to look to cut off the threat of the monsters threatening their people, and all the Emperor of Avalon could think of was a personal retreat. The only retreat _she'd_ made was to look for help to solve their world's crisis.

On the other hand, the last time her city had been attacked by Mythos they'd been able to manage without the Empress. Thanks to the fact that the killer of immortals had been hiding there undetected all along, and chosen then to reveal herself.

If those little toys Mila and Felco were giving out didn't give their minions an edge on Tarock, Maeve was going to find that little girl and handle this herself. No more Arcana were going to die because of Tarock…

A servant cleared his throat nervously, and Maeve realized she wasn't alone anymore. "You have something to tell me?" she asked without turning to face him. "Then speak."

"Empress…word's just arrived that the soldiers at Outpost 7 have come upon a young girl who only calls herself 'Lost.' She looks half done-in, and they claim that she expectorated some kind of black filth that started to come alive before they got her to the outpost. They said you needed to know at once."

It took a second for Empress Maeve to mentally digest what she'd just been told. Had the object of her search truly come so quickly and easily? It seemed suspicious, yet how many lives could be saved if they really had found the "lost soul" that would end this war already?

"Find Mila and Felco's little champions," Maeve ordered. "Send them to the outpost at once to look into this claim and report back to me. This could end another Mythos genocide."

* * *

><p>Nema and Lurian stood on the walls of the city and consulted the territory map a guard had given them. How accurate it was since the reappearance of the Mythos was hard to guess.<p>

"So it's down that way?" Nema pointed to some rocky foothills in the distance.

"Yes, roughly," Lurian answered and put the map away. "Are you ready?"

She looked over at him, and the anger, the mistrust Lurian had been afraid of seeing for longer than he cared to remember was still there, but weaker than it had been in a long time. Since…he'd come back from Raijan with the bad news. And followed up by falsely accusing her of infidelity.

"Of course," Nema said, and raised her bracelet.

He took a deep breath. "Nema…I'm sorry about accusing you of…what I accused you of. With everything piling up, especially the Mythos coming back…"

Nema held up a hand without looking at him. "Stop," she said. "We've got a job to do, let's just focus on that."

"All right," Lurian said, but he didn't plan to leave it at that for long. He raised his bracelet.

"JOIN!" the two shouted, pressed their wrists together and were engulfed in black and white power. As soon as their armor solidified they took off through the air.

Neither said anything as they flew. They passed the long-abandoned ruins of a town after a few minutes, a few more that still stood, and what had once probably been a civilian transport by the side of a dirt road. At least there didn't appear to be the remains of anyone still inside…

Not long after the smooth stone walls of the outpost came into view. On top of one wall was a soldier wearing a Mazones uniform waving at them to come down. Ven and Donis slowed and then came to a stop in front of him. "You two got here a lot sooner than we were expecting," said the guard, smiling a touch uncertainly.

"The champions of Mazones can be wherever they're needed in the blink of an eye," said Donis. "But you had something important to show us, didn't you?"

"Very," said the guard. He led Ven and Donis off the parapet and down into underground barracks of the outpost. Numerous other guards stopped and stared at the two figures in their dazzling armor as they passed by. In another minute they came to the outpost's infirmary, where a nurse was tending to a thin girl in a moth-eaten black robe. The girl's eyes and cheeks were sunken into her face, but as she saw Ven and Donis enter, her face lit up.

"Are you…are you here to help me?" she croaked, hopefully.

"That depends," Donis answered. "Are you the source of the Mythos? Where do you come from? Who are you?"

"I'm…Lost," said the girl. "That's all I know. She calls me, when I give off the darkness, names it and brings it to life…"

"Who calls to you?" Ven asked.

The nurse stood up. "She's weak, you shouldn't be pressuring her."

Ven stepped forward. "Whether she means to be or not, she's a threat to the entire Sphere."

Lost weakly waved a hand at Ven. "I don't know why this happens, please don't hurt me! I'm not trying to make monsters-" she protested, but was cut short by a scream from Ven. Donis looked up and saw the nurse was no longer there; in her place was a hideous blue-skinned hag with wiry hair and fingernails as long as knives made of some dull gray metal. Her left eye was scarred shut, and the right was a dull black orb that was so sheer Donis was afraid he'd be sucked inside at any moment.

In a second Ven was up again, her new dagger in hand, slashing viciously at her attacker. Donis turned back to where Lost was laying, and saw the sickly helpless girl shimmer and turn into a faceless white being with thick black lines ornamenting its body.

It had been a trap all along.

Donis's new bow was in his hand in a flash, and as the faceless Mythos lunged at him he slashed the edge against its chest, sending the monster flying. It slammed into the wall and crumbled to dust immediately.

Meanwhile Ven had pressed the Mythos monster she was fighting back into the barracks with a relentless onslaught of punches, kicks and strikes from her new Ven Gasher that sent sparks and small jets of blue shooting from her opponent's body. Around them the other guards had let their disguises fade and changed into more faceless black-and-white Mythos. They rushed at Ven, wielding the energized spears of the guards whose places they'd taken. Ven held up her bracelet, which announced, "Ven Split!"

Suddenly there were five black-armored warriors in the barracks. The first sent a mental command to her copies and they charged the faceless Mythos. Moving a little awkwardly as she jumped over a bed, having to maintain her concentration to command the copies, Ven raised her dagger to attack the monster that was their leader. Ven rushed forward but stopped and jumped aside as the monster swiped her long claws, shooting out bright sparks as big as Ven's head. The monster seemed to tremble, but Ven paused as she realized it was laughing.

"Have the Arcana really gotten this weak and cowardly while I was locked up?" cackled the hag in a smooth feminine voice. "They make a show of standing up to my children, but they hide behind gullible humans when they do!"

"Who are you?" Ven demanded.

The hag turned and smirked, her eye now a burning red. "Tarock thinks of me as the White Lady, and as a name, it suffices." She raised her arms high. "I am the mind and soul of the Mythos! I see through the eyes of all my kind, they take any form I command! And if this is the best the Sphere can bring against us now, it won't be long before you fall once and for all! Perish on the claws of Black Annis!"

Then the Mythos shot another barrage of sparks at Ven who jumped out of the way, but one still exploded against her leg and sent her spinning to the ground. The Black Annis Mythos was on her in a second, but one of the faceless Mythos, already starting to disintegrate from the attack of a Ven-copy came flying through the air and knocked Black Annis on her back.

Ven's copies had already taken care of the faceless creatures. As frightening as their power to change themselves into others was, they apparently had little fighting power. The same couldn't be said for their other opponent, though. Ven and her copies closed in on Black Annis, but she swiped her and another barrage of sparks flew. Ven jumped back, her leg still burning from the last shot she caught, but one of her copies wasn't as quick and knocked off her feet.

In the narrow barracks Black Annnis's shots gave her too much of an advantage. Even if Ven and her copies could get close enough to land a blow they wouldn't last long enough to finish her off. Ven's aching leg was evidence of how much damage the monster could do. Black Annis ran forward and two of Ven's copies ran out to meet her, one grappling with her and managing to pin one arm while the other sliced Black Annis across the chest with her Ven Gasher.

Black Annis shrieked…then shrugged off the Ven-copy pinning her arm and unleashed a flurry of strikes with her metal claws, battering the copy across her chest and head until the copy flickered out of existence. Black Annis knocked the other Ven-copy out of her way and lunged for the original who lifted her dagger to defend herself. Then suddenly a blindingly white arrow shot through the air and impaled itself into Black Annis's chest, exploding in a blinding flash and blowing the monster to the back of the room.

"Now!" Donis called out as he lowered his bow. "Finish her before she recovers!" But Black Annis was already getting up again, even though she was sporting a deep wound from Donis's arrow. Nobody was going to be able to finish her before she recovered enough to attack again. But maybe there was a chance to take away her greatest advantage if Ven was quick enough…

Ven and two of her remaining copies grappled with Black Annis who shrieked and lashed out at them with her claws. Sparks flew from Ven's back, already painful thanks to Black Annis's first sneak attack, but she held tight and suddenly she and her copies jumped as high as they could, crashing through the roof of the barracks.

Black Annis's ferocious battering had eradicated another Ven-copy by the time they landed in a heap in the courtyard of the fort, but Ven and her copies quickly untangled themselves and dragged the serrated edges of their daggers over her body, gouging her in one arm. The monster brought back her arms and shot a flurry of sparks from both hands but her enemies had already scattered.

The Mythos screeched and shot a burst of sparks from her one good arm, but in the larger area of the courtyard Ven and Donis had enough room to move to run between them. Donis darted in and stabbed Black Annis in the back with the tip of his bow, and then was running again so her return slash cut nothing but air. Ven and her copies weaved through the sparks. The first copy came in low then jumped, slashed at Black Annis's face and then went somersaulting over her head. Ven herself came running at Black Annis in a wide arc, ducked low under a swipe at her head and dragged her dagger across the monster's back. Then she was off and running before a counterattack could come.

It didn't come. Black Annis crumpled to the ground from the last attack she'd been dealt. The last Ven-copy ran forward and raised her Ven Gasher high to deal the deathblow. Then suddenly Black Annis dug into the ground with her good arm, ripped up a huge hunk of stone and slammed it into the Ven-copy with a hideous shriek. The copy flickered away into nothing and Black Annis turned, swiping her arm and filling the air with another barrage of sparks. Several slammed into Ven and her last copy, knocking the original into the air and blasting the copy into nothingness.

"Nema!" Donis screamed. Before he could do anything Black Annis hurled herself at him, long metal nails extended at his throat. Desperately he pulled back on his bow, terrified not enough time had passed for it to fire again, but a blindingly bright arrow formed and then impaled itself in the monster's chest at point blank range. She was blasted off the ground…

…and then Ven stood up on shaky feet. Her bracelet announced "Ven Separator," and she threw the Ven Gasher as hard as she could before collapsing to her knees.

The dagger spun through the air, slicing through Black Annis as it went back and forth leaving rippling blue energy in the gaps between her limbs. The blade returned to Ven's hand like a boomerang, and then faded along with her armor. Black Annis herself finally dissolved into blue mist that was then carried away on the wind.

Donis dashed over to where Nema lay, his armor fading as he did. She was bleeding through her clothes in multiple places, but after he finished feverishly binding her wounds, she managed to open her eyes.

"We failed," she rasped. "They probably have that 'Lost' by now…"

Lurian shook his head slowly and smiled. "We haven't lost, love. We've had a setback but we've slain a dangerous Mythos."

"One of hundreds," Nema coughed. "And I nearly had to die to do it."

He took her in his arms and embraced her tightly. "But you didn't die," he said quietly. "We've been through so much, Nema. Are truly going to lose it all now? When we have the blessing of the Arcana of themselves? We can win this!" A second later he added, "My love…"

Slowly Nema let out a sigh, then raised an aching arm and looped it around Lurian's back. "Maybe," she said.

Lurian smiled over her shoulder and hugged her tighter. He'd take it. It was as optimistic as she'd been in a long time.

* * *

><p>A blow shot by Liss's head but she swayed to the side in time then grabbed her attacker and put him in an armlock.<p>

"Not bad," he smiled. Suddenly he raised his arm, hoisting her off the ground, and slammed her on her back. Then he extended his hand to help her up. Not to his surprise, Liss didn't take it. She got her feet under her and stood up, ready to fight on.

She circled him slowly, looking for an opening, then ran and jump-kicked at his side. Her foot was about to connect before he knocked her leg away with a powerful swing of his arm. Liss managed to land on her feet, but was starting to feel frustrated with how hard she was breathing on how few hits she'd actually landed. She'd done a lot better in fights were a lot more was at stake, why was she doing so badly now?"

Her opponent relaxed his stance. "Ready for a break, Liss?" Angelo asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess," she said, and twisted the cap off a bottle of water before taking a long swig. Liss leaned back against the door leading off the roof of the dojo, and took a deep breath. She'd asked for this, and she'd meant it, but still she felt annoyance at how things were going.

"Don't have too much, we're not done," Angelo informed her.

"Yeah," Liss said, then took another drink. "Sensei, how many more nights are we gonna spend with you 'seeing what I'm like now'?"

Angelo chuckled. "Oh, you got some magic powers or something now so you get to skip ahead, huh? Doesn't work that way, honey. Power's nothing without control, and I gotta see what your style turned into when I wasn't around."

"I was kinda hoping we could at least skip the intro stuff," Liss griped. "This isn't exactly my first day."

"You want my help, you follow my lesson plan," he said, then went back into his stance. "Ready for more?"

But Liss didn't answer. A sharp feeling of cold settled on her arm and lingered for almost ten seconds longer than usual. It was something strong.

Angelo looked over at Liss and saw her grimacing in pain. "What's wrong? Is one of those monsters around?" he asked. Liss didn't answer, she already had a red card in her hand and loaded it into her belt.

"Swords Suit!" it said. A transparent image of a card with a sword in the middle appeared above Liss but she didn't wait for it to fall and form her armor, jumping straight through it and emerging in her bright red Swords Form.

At the height of her jump she could see it: the biggest, blackest bat she'd ever seen glided by on impossibly wide wings. And she had no doubt there was a figure wearing a long flapping cape on its back as it went past.

Another jump carried her to a rooftop a block and a half away. Tarock jumped again after the bat-shaped creature, and in mid-air summoned her sword and slashed with all her incredible strength along the bat-creature's underbelly. It shrieked and started to flail its wings, turning over and over in the air and losing altitude with every second. Finally it slammed into the street with a sickening wet crunching sound.

Its rider did not. He hovered in the air, shielded by an egg-shaped bubble. Tarock gripped the hilt of her sword tightly as he drifted down to the ground and let his protective bubble fade. He looked straight at Tarock and in the darkness of his hood she could see a half-circle of purple light, the same color as the diamond-shaped jewel on the long wooden staff he carried in one hand.

"That was a very specific type of servitor you just killed," he said in a smooth, neutral voice.

"Good," Tarock said. "You seem like a really specific type too."

He laughed, supreme confidence oozing off the tones. Tarock clutched her sword, not liking it one bit. "You made your first mistake when you put on that belt," he said. "Starting a fight with me was another."

Then the jewel on his staff flashed and heavy metal chains coiled outward around Tarock.

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock: Re-Dealt:<p>

Tarock swings her sword at the new Mythos, who blocks it on his staff

Mythos: Why do you gamble with your very soul to fight us?

Liss clutches her head in pain, and then Lost cowers in a darkened concrete room

Lost: Help me, Tarock…terrible things are going to happen and time's running out…

In her Swords Form, Tarock touches a rhomboid-shaped jewel hanging on her belt and a red-armored woman with a sword flickers into existence

Master Shardak: Liss, grow, strengthen yourself and fight as you've never fought before. Or we are all doomed.

Tarock: What am I?

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	15. Chapter 15: Passage

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Fifteen: Passage

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Expecting mostly battle, Liss was surprised to encounter people who saw her as a powerful ally and savior for fighting the Mythos. She found more than her share of enemies as well, including the people of the city of Mazones, ruled by Arcana who considered Tarock a menace for killing one of their number ages ago. After a shaking experience in Mazones, Liss returned to Earth recover.

With help from her old martial arts instructor she's done just that. But now she's just cornered a strange Mythos, and is about to get an idea of just how high the stakes are in the game she's playing…

* * *

><p>The heavy metal chains writhed through the air like snakes. Tarock slashed her sword and cleaved through a mass of them but they seemed to jump right back up and wrap themselves around her, pinning her hands to her chest and the edge of Skycalibur's blade painfully digging into her shoulder. Another swarm of chains wrapped around her legs, and the Mythos kicked her in the chest, knocking Tarock off her feet.<p>

He twirled his staff in his hand effortlessly, the glowing purple jewel seeming to spin on its own against the encroaching darkness. "The lady in charge might not want it getting out, but you've managed to be quite a pain," he said. "She didn't think you'd manage to find all those cards, and that was actually the second very specific servitor you killed…I had such plans for the Scarecrow, and it'll take time to be able to mold something so unique again. But most of all we would've had Mazones if you hadn't been hiding out there. The Empress being gone, someone to handle those black and white idiots, a Revenant right there to shatter the walls and let an army of us inside. The Empress would've had no home to run back to…You were the only thing we hadn't planned on."

"Why the hell are you telling me this?" Tarock asked as she tried to strain against the chains.

"Why the hell shouldn't I?" he replied casually. "You'll be one of us before long. Oh, the boss wants to scare you some more first, but I happen to know there's a seat with your name on it in our officers' club, Liss Decker. You can try to push it away, just like you're pushing on those chains, but-"

"Who's pushing?" Tarock said.

He canted his head, then gripped his staff in both hands. "What?"

A link in the chain in front of Tarock's sword popped open on one side; she'd been sawing through it while he talked. And there was a hard-to-miss stream of blood oozing down her shoulder from where the blade had dug in as she'd cut her way free. Tenacious, he thought, and smiled inside his cowl.

One powerful shove and Tarock was able to crawl out of the stretched chains around her arms, and slashed through the length around her legs in a heartbeat. Then she lunged for the Mythos with Skycalibur's tip aimed at his heart. The air whistled as he blocked her attack on his staff, metal clanging and sparks flying. Tarock attacked again in only a second, swinging Skycalibur at his neck. He blocked it easily again, but then grunted in surprise as Tarock suddenly spun and kicked him on the back of one hand, sending his staff rolling down the asphalt.

Inside his hood, Tarock was sure she could see one side of his mouth turn up in a smirk. "Not bad, little-" he started to say before Tarock's fist crunched into the side of his face. Skycalibur became a streak of light that ripped into his chest, exposing a glowing purple dome and coating the blade in blue Mythos blood.

"Call me 'little girl,' asshole," Tarock said, brandishing Skycalibur. "I dare you."

He smirked again…then reached into thin air and suddenly half his arm disappeared into a circle of light. Another appeared over his staff down the street, and he stepped away, pulling his staff in front of him again. "Burst," a voice from his staff said, then a blast fired from the tip of his staff and landed at Tarock's feet. She cried out as she was hurled off the ground, feeling the heat even through her armor.

When the flames cleared Tarock was nowhere to be seen.

For a second. "Calamity! Aqua Burst!" Crouched on a roof in her yellow Cups armor, she let the massive ball of water fly from her gauntlet. The Mythos didn't move at all, but just before he was hit a bubble formed around him and Tarock's attack shattered, doing no damage.

"I think we've spent enough time playing around, Tarock," he said, and his staff intoned, "Mob." Suddenly something split off from his body and morphed into another caped Mythos just like him. Then another Mythos juts like the other one. And another, and another…until there were ten.

As one they flew up and surrounded the building where Tarock crouched. "Burst," whispered the first. Energy beams shot at her, and she was sure they'd level the entire block, and her with it.

"Dire Fate! Blizzard Gatling!" her Fate Driver said, and she felt all her strength gathering in her gauntlet for this form's most powerful attack. She spun in a circle and an ongoing barrage of foot-long ice spears from the fingers of her Sea Hand. As they pierced through the bodies of the Mythos they exploded into blue smoke until only one was left, and disappeared before reforming back on the street.

"Dire Fate! Depth Pressure Kick!" said the Fate Driver. Tarock's body ached as her energy was drawn on to power a second Dire Fate in a row, but this obviously wasn't an enemy she could afford to go easy on. She jumped high, the incredible pressure of water on the ocean floor collecting in Tarock as she made a jump kick at the Mythos. She was a second away from connecting when his staff spoke another word.

"Grav."

Suddenly Tarock was slammed stomach-down on the street, feeling as if a thirty-ton weight was on her back. The Mythos strolled in front of Tarock, then sank to one knee. "Tell me, Tarock," he asked, "why are you so bent on fighting us, even after I offer you my hand in friendship? What have the Arcana promised you?"

"I don't care about them. I'm going to prove I'm strong enough," Tarock grunted, and after a second of looking her in the yellow lenses, the Mythos clutched his staff and the pressure pushing down on her increased.

The most arrogant laugh Tarock had ever heard rang out from under the Mythos's hood. He threw his arms wide and spun in place a few times, letting it echo off the houses around them. Then he turned to look down at Tarock again, not bothering to sink to her eye level again.

"That is the most pathetically vague explanation I've ever heard for that kind of stubbornness, and I've heard more of those than you've had hot meals, _little girl_!" he laughed again. "But despite what I'm sure you think, I'm not here to kill you. I meant I everything I said. When you've decided you want to be on the winning side, call for me, the Warlock. Until then…"

The pressure on Tarock's back vanished just before the Mythos himself did in a flash of purple power. Angry and exhausted Tarock pulled herself to her feet. Her armor faded, but the Warlock's words to her lingered in her mind.

She didn't notice the small glittering shape overhead flitting away with the battle concluded.

* * *

><p>When Liss got back to the dojo, Sensei was still waiting on the roof where he'd been when she'd gone jumping off to chase a monster. He looked at her, seeming to be trying to betray nothing but Liss was sure he was trying to spot any new injuries.<p>

"Get what you were after?" he asked.

"No," Liss said. "He got away. He was a really tough one. And that's why we have to stop with this intro stuff. Now."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Liss said, and looked him straight in the eye, a determination there he hadn't seen in anyone in a long time. "I need to be stronger. I need to be able to take pain better, and for longer. And I need to start the real stuff tonight."

He looked at her, then looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. "If that's what you need, then I'll give it to you, Liss. But that's the thing, I'll give it to you. I can't be responsible if you're too sore to go chasing monsters after we're done.

"I've survived some pretty intense things already," Liss said.

"Okay," he nodded. Then suddenly he threw a hard spin-kick at her side.

It hurt blocking that.

* * *

><p>Over the dry plains flew a transparent moth with impossible speed for such a creature. It slowed as it approached a few low hills, then disappeared right through the side of one of them into a small cave. Inside the two occupants stopped their conversation as it entered.<p>

"Ah!" said Jack, the wandering Arcanum, and held out his hand for the moth to land on. "Seen something interesting, have you, my little beauty? Let's have a look at what it was." The moth flattened out into a white card with a picture of a moth on it, then from the card jumped an image of Tarock fighting the Warlock Mythos, and holding her own until he'd used his gravity power to pin her to the ground.

"Seems we accepted a tenacious champion indeed," said Jack as Tarock cut herself free from her chains even though she cut into herself to do it.

As the recording ended Jack glanced over at the transparent face of his old friend, what remained of the wizard called Master Shardak. "Did you see what I saw?" Jack asked.

Shardak nodded, and narrowed his weary eyes. "That Mythos has an external power source. A very familiar one," he said as he remembered the day he'd been reduced to this incorporeal essence with only a shadow of his former powers. As he was able to gather himself and keep from fading completely into nothingness, the dark-haired beauty he'd trusted, even let himself begin to love, flew away cackling with that purple stone in her hand. The essence of what he'd been, and the power that had been his to wield…

"Seems we may have underestimated Morgan," Jack said quietly. "If they've managed to figure out how to use that, even in such a limited capacity."

Shardak nodded again, and sighed. "Even without finesse there's plenty of power to be tapped there. I should know…Liss may be in more danger than even she's equipped to handle."

"She may not be the only one," Jack said in almost a whisper.

"Oh?" Shardak asked, even though he had a fair guess at what his old friend would say.

"If they can harness the power of one Arcanum, why stop there?" Jack asked. "Maybe that's why they've been focusing their efforts on the capitals, herding people there…those are the most fortified spots, of course, but they're also the easiest place to find Arcana. And if the Mythos aren't interested in just the Sphere, think of how much more dangerous that would make them to Liss's world if they had even more power. Liss and Ben would be overwhelmed. Quickly."

"There's a much closer side to the matter, isn't there?" Shardak pointed out.

"If I'm right the Mythos are going to be trying to harvest Arcana," Jack nodded. "We may be looking upon the end of an era, old friend."

"And in a way, isn't that what we wanted?" Shardak asked.

"Did we want it like this?" Jack asked back.

"There are things immortality makes you forget," Shardak said, thoughtfully lacing his transparent hands together. "Everything has to end. But perhaps we speak too quickly. It's entirely likely they attack the largest cities because those are where the people have gone after the distant settlements were destroyed."

A wan smile formed on Jack's face and he straightened his cap, then picked up his stick. "Can we really afford to think that's the case, Shardak?"

"No," Shardak said, almost whispering. "We can't. We've got to assume if they're going to strike it's going to be soon, while the powers of the Sphere are still divided. The search for the 'lost soul' would bring us all together again."

"Indeed." Jack tucked away the first card then produced another from his bag. A small push of his energy and the card turned into another crystalline moth. "Fly, little one," said Jack. "Keep an eye on Liss. She'll be needing all the help she can get, but if I know her she'll have a hard time asking for it. And I suppose I'd better go warn the others, even Maeve if she'll listen."

"Tread carefully," said Shardak. "If a purge is coming…"

Jack walked out of the cave, but as soon as he was outside he sped into the distance. Then Shardak turned to the stone table before him, focused his power and continued to shape another object from a jagged Ora Stone.

* * *

><p>The abandoned parking lot beyond the old chain link fence was still empty. Sue Gand found herself a shady spot a respectful distance away, then pulled her laptop out of her bag to add a few thoughts to the report she was here to prepare. It had been a while since she'd had enough for the last one.<p>

_Tarock, as the local hero's called, continues to confound. Those aware of her background as a juvenile delinquent prior to gaining her powers would expect her to set herself up as a tyrant meting out punishment to everyone who'd made her life difficult before. Instead she seems to prefer to remain in the shadows until needed, when she or her new partner emerges and fights back against the strange invaders, the "Mythos" with superhuman power._

_The effect their presence has had on this decaying town since I've arrived is nothing short of miraculous. Local businesses are starting to reopen, beautifying projects are springing up, and people seem to feel safer walking the streets, even if monsters are showing up now and then with nefarious intent. Someone fighting for them has revitalized the area in a way I would've called fanciful if I hadn't been around to see it for myself._

_ Yet…I confess that personally I remain uneasy because of Tarock's secretive nature. Her old martial arts instructor is trying to portray her as someone who finds this town worth fighting for to improve morale in the kids in his current class. It's certainly true that I've only encountered Tarock fighting in defiance of Mythos creatures, but I've seen her all the same. She's canny, and might only be waiting until she feels she's evaluated the other powers involved in this struggle enough to pick a stance of her own._

_ Last night's attack, where she fought what appeared to be some kind of wizard-monster, was particularly worrying. He was able to go toe-to-toe with Tarock, and before he left her behind I'm sure I heard him say something about "when she was ready to be on the winning side." I'm afraid of what that could mean._

_ Myself, I want to believe the best. Having seen a few of the things she has for myself, I believe she's capable of becoming a caring protector if she can see the incentive for herself. From a few of the stories she's passed on to her teacher that I've since convinced him to pass on to me, though, I hear she's also pained by the rejection of someone she considered a close friend. Who knows which way an offer from a powerful presence like the Mythos might push someone who's been through as much rejection as she has? What were the people who prompted her to accept her powers and join their fight thinking pressuring a teenager into a situation like this?_

_ Tarock's instructor is trying to guide her toward becoming a champion of the people. With Mythos creatures seeming to get more numerous and powerful all the time, I doubt it'll be long before we need one. It's worrying to think how much of our future could soon rest on the shoulders of a very conflicted girl._

She looked up as she heard a vehicle coming up, a big white van. A man in a hardhat got out, unlocked the heavy padlock holding a gate in the fence closed. Sue closed her laptop and jogged over to the men, flashing her brightest smile.

* * *

><p>Morning came much too early to suit Liss, as the cacophony of hair driers, breakfast preparations and an argument about whether who had done what homework like they claimed intruded into the little backroom she'd been given to stay. Every part of her body felt sore and bruised after all the blows she'd had to fend off last night, it seemed unfair to attack her eardrums at the crack of dawn too.<p>

Still, it was the first time in a while she woke up not remembering any dreams about the White Lady taunting her…

After Sensei's daughters were off to school a few uneventful but busy hours followed breakfast, of sweeping up downstairs and wiping smudges off the front windows. There wouldn't be class that afternoon, but there'd still be private practice for her. Even after she was done with her morning routine, it still hurt if Liss tried to move too suddenly. But hell if she was going to let herself not measure up to that. After her cleaning rounds were done, Liss made up her mind to get out and get some activity before that night's sparring.

As Liss went running, the town seemed more active than she remembered from before her weeks spent recovering from a beating on the Sphere. A couple storefronts she was sure had been empty (because they'd been on her list of hiding places before she'd become Tarock) before had people inside them cleaning up and setting up shelves and buffing the dirt off ancient tile floors. People were out walking around, looking where they were going and not into dark corner where an attacker might be waiting. Some were even jogging too, along with a dog on a leash.

What had gone on while she was healing?

The buildings started to thin out after about an hour and soon Liss could see the chain link fence surrounding the decrepit old amusement park at the edge of town, Marvel Land. Liss vaguely remembered going there with her family when she was barely three and a half years old. Couldn't remember anything about the rides or the games or the mascots. Just that when she asked her mother if they could go again a few months later, Liss found out they'd gone to Marvel Land's last season. It closed down a few weeks after their visit.

Liss jogged around the edge of the edges of the old park, looking at the empty old buildings, especially the ones with no signs on them anymore and trying to remember what they used to be. But as Liss made a circuit around the old fence she stopped when she noticed a gate had been opened and inside the parking lot was a group of men surveying the area. Nearby them was a white van with a logo of a sun peeking over a mountain range next to lettering that said "SILVER LIGHT CONSTRUCTION: Shaping a brighter tomorrow, today."

Not just surveyors, either. A familiar-looking woman was inside the fence talking to them, but as Liss came jogging into view the woman looked up and spotted her.

It was Sue Gand.

And when she recognized the girl going past, Sue broke away from the men inside the fence and went after her.

Normally Liss probably would've been able to outrun her, even if Sue Gand was better at keeping up than most people she'd met. That day, Liss wasn't up to running her fastest and even though she tried to pick up the pace a minute later Sue was next to her.

"Well, if it isn't the local hero," Sue grinned as she jogged beside Liss. "The one who isn't as chatty."

Liss slowed to a walk. "And if it isn't the reporter who can't tell when she's getting nowhere."

"Hey, I haven't seen you in ages, I thought I'd come over _to_ report," Sue replied. "You're making a lot of people take notice of the monsters you protect this town from. Even Carl Stanford's noticed."

Why did that sound familiar? He was probably some rich guy Liss had heard of before, but never thought much about. What difference did rich people make to her when she lived in a place like this?

The lack of an answer prompted Sue to go on. "He owns the company that's checking out the old amusement park back there. The guys there said he heard about how there's a couple superheroes operating around here, and he's thinking about reopening the park."

"With all the monsters showing up?" an incredulous Liss asked.

"You're forgetting the heroes showing up to save people from the monsters," Sue smiled. "You're part of a proud tradition, Liss! People who've honest-to-God _saved the world_ a bunch of times."

"Don't tell me what to be!" Liss snapped. "That's all I ever heard, how I need to match what somebody else thinks is good if I'm ever going to count for anything!"

"Down, girl," Sue as gently as he could while still standing her ground. "I'm trying to say you're impressing big people with what you're doing, and you're doing a good job as part of a whole legacy of heroes like you. Have you seen what's been happening around here since you and your friend started fighting off monsters? It's like this place is coming back to life."

"It won't stay like that unless somebody's strong enough to beat that Warlock guy," Liss said, giving Sue a knowing look. "And I don't care what rich people think of what I'm doing." Then before Sue could say anything else Liss bolted down the street and darted between a pair of buildings.

Quietly, Sue sighed and put off thoughts of chasing Liss down like she'd managed before. So much more was at stake now, and Sue didn't feel she could take the risk of pushing Liss into something regrettable with another attempt to persuade her. At least she'd said she planned on getting stronger to fight the Warlock, not accept his offer to join forces. That was a good sign.

Wasn't it?

* * *

><p>For the next week and a half things settled into a routine. Every night Liss and Sensei would spar. He didn't go easy on her, and some nights it was a job just dragging herself to bed, where she'd be woken much too early by her host's family scrambling to get ready before the school bus rattled by. Most of the day Liss went around town working out, and every other afternoon she was the assistant instructor at Angelo's kung-fu class after school let out. The only change was teaching another class when the weekend rolled around.<p>

Sue had been right about life seeming to return to their town, and as the days got cooler and the leaves of what trees lived there turned orange, Jack o' lanterns appeared in windows and on doorsteps. Cardboard skulls were hung in the windows of the Dragon Academy.

After staggering to bed the night before the last day of the month, Liss fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

And immediately there was a feeling of numbing cold on her arm, and in her dreams she could see the White Lady standing side by side with the Warlock.

"Tomorrow's a momentous day, isn't it?" the White Lady asked her companion.

"Indeed!" laughed the Warlock from within his cowl. "Not only our inspirations are glorified in one of their only worthwhile celebrations, tomorrow is the day our newest, greatest ally becomes a woman! Truly this is a time for celebration!"

"Go to hell," Liss breathed. The two Mythos leaders laughed and looked about to say something else snide when their images rippled, like a pond when a rock was dropped into it. The image started to come together again into a single figure in a ragged black cloak. They pulled back the hood, and it took Liss a second to recognize Lost. She looked even more haggard and exhausted than the first time they'd met, when Lost had appeared in a drainage canal and created a scorpion monster Liss had just barely been able to defeat.

"Tarock," she said hoarsely, "I need your help."

"What's going on?" Liss asked. The cold on her arm was getting even worse. "This isn't just a dream, is it?"

Lost shook her head sadly. "A part of the darkness entered you. It took me some time to understand who…," Lost shuddered and had to pause for a second before she continued, "who _she_ was talking to instead of me, but I think that's what lets her appear in your mind as you sleep. Like it's letting me appear now. But I don't think I have long. You're going to destroy _her_, aren't you?"

Liss weighed her answer for a minute. If the White Lady really was getting into her mind when she was asleep, how did she know this wasn't some kind of trick? How much did Liss really know about the powers all these weird people and monsters had?

But there was something else coming through. An intense feeling of loneliness, layered through with…vulnerability seemed the only appropriate word, that was still all too familiar. Liss had hardened herself against those feelings years ago, but Lost couldn't do that, could she? She heard the White Lady in her head whether she was awake or asleep, and she was probably on the run everyday from any monsters she created whenever she had an attack and vomited up that evil black stuff that Mythos came to life from. What could Lost possibly do to protect herself?

"Yes, I'm going to if I can find her. What about you?" Liss asked. "Where are you?"

Lost's image rippled slightly for a second and she clutched her head in her hands. "Trapped. Close, but closer to…_them_. Help me, Tarock, please! They're going to-"

Lost faded completely, and Liss concentrated as hard as she could, forcing herself awake before the Mythos bosses could come back and taunt her about her helplessness again.

What had Lost meant by that, "close, but closer to them"? Had the Mythos caught her? Where were they keeping her?

Or did Liss already know the answer to that?

* * *

><p>The next day Liss was mildly disturbed to find her routine thrown off when there was no class after school ended for the day. It was then when a wall seemed to come down in her mind, and she noticed all the decorations and kids walking around in costumes. Had she really gotten so focused on bulking up for her fight with the Mythos she'd failed to notice all that? Or was it not wanting to dwell on what else the occasion meant?<p>

The living area was empty when Liss went up to see if she and Sensei would at least spar on the roof. Probably had other plans, given the date, but Liss climbed the stairs to the roof anyway to make sure.

She failed to hold in a groan at what she saw instead.

Behind the door Sensei had set up a barbecue and was busy turning over hamburger patties and steaks as she opened the door. Milling around were his daughters and a couple other girls their age who barely looked up as Liss emerged. The older one, Anissa, was wearing a slutty vampire costume. The younger girl, Virginia, who attended her father's kung-fu class, was dressed up like the princess from the family fantasy movie that had been a big hit a few months ago and Liss hadn't thought once about going to see. It looked out of place on a fourteen-year-old, to say the least.

And on the far corner of the roof, chatting over beers, were Sue Gand and Liss's older sister Paige. She was actually wearing makeup, something Liss didn't think she'd ever seen on her sister. Paige looked up as the door open and smiled wickedly. "Well, if it isn't the birthday girl herself!" she said loud enough to be heard over everyone else's conversations.

"Hey, Liss," said Virginia "Happy birthday." The other girls' greeting was a mass of mumbled "hellos" before they turned back to the conversation they'd been having.

It'd always been like that. Having a birthday that landed right on another day where people celebrated something else, nobody ever got very excited about the first thing. Liss had learned to accept that a long time ago. In fact, after a while it had started feeling uncomfortable when people tried to insist on celebrating her birthday anyway. Handily that had all stopped about when her parents had kicked Paige out of the family…

Liss wandered over to a little table with a cake and other refreshments on it and poured herself a glass of punch. Then she went over to the edge of the roof and had a seat. Paige cast a watchful eye on her younger sister, but Liss didn't try to get anywhere near the beer cooler. In fact Liss just stared off over the horizon, not even paying attention to the groups of excited costumed kids gathering candy door-to-door below.

After a while Paige came over and sat beside Liss herself. "Everything okay, kid?" Paige asked. "Kind of disappointed at the turnout?"

"I haven't cared about this in forever," Liss answered. "Matter of fact, I bet we wouldn't even be having this if somebody hadn't told Sensei about what day this is."

Paige slapped her gently between the shoulders. "Maybe somebody thought you needed a break from saving the world. And did you see the butt on that reporter lady? Mmmm, she fills out those jeans nice…"

"Sounds like I'm not the only one taking a break from real life," Liss muttered, finished her glass in one gulp and got up to refill it, but Paige lightly grabbed Liss by the wrist and sat her back down.

"How's the hero business going?" Paige asked conversationally.

"It's…going," Liss said softly, almost grumbling, then pulling her arm free and looking away. "But that's why I'm here, so Sensei can help me get stronger and deal with anything that comes after me."

Paige leaned across Liss's lap and got another beer out of the cooler next to her, cracked it and took a sip. "Hasn't been all cheering crowds and beautiful girls throwing themselves at you, huh?" she asked, and Liss gave her a weird look. "How about we go for a walk? I don't think anybody'll mind if we keep it short."

Liss said nothing, but followed behind Paige as she went down the stairs, through the living area and out the back door of the building. They attracted a few stray glances from trick-or-treaters until Paige finished her beer and dropped it in a trashcan. "You know," Liss said. "When I crashed at your place after getting my belt, you were all onboard with me doing this. Now you sound like were expecting this to suck for me."

Her older sister's hand clamped on Liss's shoulder, and Paige leaned on her a little to be able to walk straight. "Liss," she said. "You're doing something important, but I don't even like this kind of fantasy thing and even I knew it wasn't going to be all fun and games. But this is the biggest thing you've ever done, Liss. You needed to learn that for yourself, too."

Liss almost dropped her. This coming out of the mouth of her older sister, someone among the people who could be counted on one hand that she felt genuine respect for. And Liss had hung around Paige enough times to know she wasn't sloshed enough to be saying anything she wouldn't still say if she was sober. "You knew that and you were totally okay with letting me go out and get my ass beat on?" she demanded.

"Liss," Paige said, holding up a hand for quiet. "I agree that if you can do this, you can do anything, and even if you don't care I think you're doing a lot of good with the monster killing and everything. But you wouldn't have listened to me if I tried to tell you this then, and you know it. You were still too busy thinking about fighting back against everybody, cuz you had something that made you invincible. You had to find out for yourself that you weren't, or you might've gone ahead and done something _really_ stupid and somebody else around here who'd made you mad once would've paid the price. If you saw how hard it was and stuck with it, you could accomplish something great. But trying to talk you out of it…I was afraid you'd get mad enough to take your magic belt and go attack somebody."

After a second Paige managed to straighten herself out and adopt a reasonable facsimile of an unaffected walk. Liss followed a ways behind her. That hadn't been the nicest thing Paige had ever said to her, but it was one of the most honest. When Paige had said she supported Liss being Tarock because it was something that made her happy, Liss had been handed a humbling defeat already, but she'd just gotten a new card and a new form that was even more powerful than her first one. She _was_ feeling invincible after that, even against the Arcanum who'd beaten her before. If she hadn't been leaving for the Sphere immediately, knowing where to look for yet another card, maybe Liss _would've_ stuck around and smashed up somebody's house to ask if they still thought she'd never measure up. It was true. Liss Decker hadn't been a very nice person then.

But going to the Sphere right after that, meeting people who were actually eager to put themselves under her protection, it'd struck an unexpected chord with Liss. And then meeting a girl who was just hoping for someone to help break the malaise of living in constant fear of attack...how much had going through that changed her? Liss hadn't even cared about settling the score with Thena or Ven and Donis after the fighting broke out in Mazones. Just getting away, finding a safe place to collect herself after Rexi'd refused to have anything more to do with her.

"How'd you know I wouldn't just get my stupid ass killed, then?" Liss asked.

Paige smiled an uneven smile at her little sister and gave her a rub across the scalp with her knuckles. "You weren't gonna die. You're a little punk, but you ain't stupid," Paige said. Then suddenly she ran her fingers through Liss's hair. "Oh, you're growing this out, huh? Hmmm…looks nice, but you should brush it too."

"Ack!" Liss pulled away and gave her sister a light shove. "What's with you tonight?" she demanded.

"I hardly recognized you when you showed up. You're growing up, Liss," Paige answered. "I think your plan's working"

"And what's that got to do with my hair? It got longer when I was stuck on the Sphere after having the crap kicked out of me."

"You've had plenty of time to cut it back where it was before," Paige smirked. "Feeling different? Wanting to try something different?"

"Shut up," Liss groaned. Even one of the only people she could stand gave her shit. Then again, maybe she shouldn't think that so terrible…

Their conversation was interrupted as something strange entered the street about a block down. It was a man on a black horse, holding a glowing jack o' lantern in one hand, and the collar of his flapping black cloak completely empty. The horse trotted down the street, and trick-or-treaters stopped and stared at him, pointing and laughing at the amazing costume he had on. Liss grimaced as she felt her arm suddenly turn icy cold.

Then without warning he raised the pumpkin high over his shoulders, and hurled it at a group of them. They screamed and ran, but the pumpkin exploded and the last girl in the group, too slow to get away, was hurled to the sidewalk with her costume on fire.

"Damn it!" Liss screamed, and Paige looked over at her only to see no-one there. Liss dashed across the street, whipping her duster off and using it to beat out the flames on the girl's back. She looked up at the man on horseback, unsure where to look with his absence of a head. He raised a ghostly white hand and pointed at her.

"Tarock," he said, the voice a wheeze, and seeming to come from nowhere at all. He held his other hand high and another jack o' lantern appeared in it, and he wasted no time in throwing it at Liss and the girl at her feet.

The girl screamed, almost drowning out the voice of the Fate Driver. "Wands Suit!" In a blaze of blue Liss Decker became Tarock once again, in the blue armor of her swift Wands Form. Its namesake was in her hand in a flash and she used it to swat back the incoming jack o' lantern. The headless Mythos produced another and threw it to meet his own returned projectile, which both exploded in a sheet of fire. Tarock lifted her Pyre Brand to attack, and the Mythos responded by leaning back hard in the saddle and making his horse rear up before turning and galloping down the street away from her.

"Time to go to work," Tarock said. "Mag Step." She turned into a formless blue blur and disappeared up the street. Away from the Mythos. Paige looked after her in disbelief for a second, that she would run away from a hostile monster. But before Paige could blink a bigger, darker blue blur shot down the street past her, leaving a trail of flame on the asphalt. For just a second before it was out of sight, Paige could see it solidify into Tarock riding an armored motorcycle.

* * *

><p>It took only seconds for Tarock to catch up with the fleeing Mythos on Shift Runner. She pulled up alongside him as he started to veer toward the sidewalk and a huddle of panicked kids. Tarock came between them and pulled back on the handlebars and lifted her bike's front wheel just off the ground, then leaned and slammed it into the horse's side. Blue slime shot from the wound and the horse whickered loudly in pain but it moved back toward the middle of the street like Tarock had hoped.<p>

Out of nowhere the Mythos swiped at her head with a cavalry saber, but Tarock blocked the swing on the haft of her Pyre Brand and twisted her wrist suddenly, knocking the sword from the Mythos's hand. Before he could retaliate Tarock put on a burst of speed away from him then whipped around to face him at the next corner. From somewhere he'd produced a musket rifle with a gleaming bayonet as long as her forearm. He took aim and fired a flaming bullet the size of cannonball from it at her and Shift Runner's tires smoked as Tarock sped away from where she'd been before it could hit her.

The heat of the blast she could still feel through her suit made it clear this wasn't a fight she could afford to let draw itself out. As she raced forward she leveled the Pyre Brand and the Fate Driver said, "Calamity! Dragon's Maw!" Fire lanced from the tip at the Mythos, but the black stallion jumped suddenly, right over Tarock's head, and kicked with its hind legs sending her tumbling off her motorcycle.

She scraped herself off the street in time to see the Mythos wheel around and come galloping at her again. He aimed his musket and launched another fiery shot at Tarock, but it passed through her in a puff of smoke before exploding against the ground another twenty feet away. It'd been nothing but one of the decoys she could create in Wands Form, and the real Tarock jumped up and landed her hardest kick on the headless rider's chest. He jerked back, but instead of falling off like Tarock had hoped he jabbed with his bayonet at her side. Tarock leaned to dodge it and her skin crawled under her suit as she noticed the rider's legs were melded to his horse's flanks…

He stabbed at Tarock's hip and reflexively she jumped off the horse, so high she passed the roofs of the buildings around them. As she reached the top of her jump she seemed to float above the scene of the street and the black horseman for a second, waiting for her to return to the ground so he could destroy her, and was amazed by how serene everything seemed in that instant, before gravity snatched her and pulled her earthward again. She could already see him pointing his weapon up at her, and got ready to fire back.

Wait. Fire back? Like the Wands Form's element? Had she just made a pun? Was she actually turning into a cheesy superhero?

"Dire Fate! Flames of Wrath!" said the Fate Driver.

Right. Finishing the fight. She could feel her power gathering in her wand and spun her body before releasing a fireball toward the Mythos. He fired his musket at her but his shot was engulfed by hers, which barreled into him and knocked him, horse and all, to the ground.

She spun again, releasing an even bigger fireball. It swallowed the Mythos, the horse struggling to get up and escape, when Tarock spun one last time before she landed, unleashing the biggest fireball of all, six feet from end to end, that she sent screaming onto the flaming mass where the Mythos lay. As it hit and exploded from curb to curb, any sight of the Mythos was lost completely. The fire only burned for a few seconds but when it was gone there was no trace of the Mythos left.

Tarock went over to where Shift Runner had stopped to see if it was damaged after the spill it'd taken. As she was bending down she heard someone clapping, and looked up to see a little girl in a purple witch's costume who stopped clapping as Tarock made eye contact with her. But then a young pirate emerged from hiding and started clapping. Then an even younger fairy princess next to him joined in. Within a minute an entire street of relieved trick-or-treaters and chaperones were applauding.

"Hey," said a smiling mother. "What do we call you?"

"Tarock. But I know one lady who isn't gonna be happy about her reputation with you having to ask," she answered.

While the trick-or-treaters cheered her victory, Tarock had a very uncomfortable feeling of being watched.

* * *

><p>Eventually Tarock managed to slip away from her admirers and returned to the Dragon Academy. Sensei, Sue and Paige were there, no surprise, and most of the girls who'd been convinced to come were gone. Not young Virginia, who was sitting at the kitchen table fidgeting nervously and only stopped when Liss took her duster off and it was obvious there was no blood on her.<p>

"Sorry to hear about you having to work on your birthday, kid," Sue said.

Liss waved it off. "Fighting monsters is what the powers are for."

"Oh yeah?" Paige said, and met Liss's probing gaze, but betrayed nothing. "But anyway, anybody else think it's about present time?"

"I agree," said a familiar voice, and out of the bathroom stepped none other than Jack, who'd already reached into his bag and produced a box wrapped in some weird green fabric with a gold-colored ribbon tied neatly around it.

"What the hell?" Liss had to ask.

"He didn't just beam into the bathroom, he showed up while you were gone just now," Angelo explained. "Guess even guys who live forever need to do that sometimes."

Jack chuckled and nodded at that. "I have a need to be elsewhere soon, but I'm not so poor a guest I'll try to deny the ah…birthday girl's relations from having their gift opened first." That earned him a funny sidelong glance from Paige, but she pressed a large gift box into Liss's hands. There was no ribbon but it had been carefully wrapped in a black paper decorated with pictures of red and yellow muscle cars with exposed engines. Inside was a box, and inside the box was a shiny blue and white Shoei motorcycle helmet.

"I'd feel better with you saving the world if I know you were protecting your head while you were on the Batcycle," said Paige. "And those guys make the best helmets, you know."

From anyone else, a practical and protective birthday present might've annoyed Liss. Sounded like being told she needed to brush her teeth more or wear clear underwear in case she was in an accident. But…she was running headlong into danger most days now. And sometimes she couldn't see it coming.

"Thanks, Paige," Liss said. Paige smiled and ruffled her hair.

"And if I may," Jack said, pressing his package into Liss's hands. She removed the wrappings from it then opened the box. Inside was a large rhomboid-shaped jewel with leather straps on the top, but completely clear. Next to it in the box were two stacks of small cards the same size as the ones she used to change to her different forms. Instead of having pictures of objects, these ones had pictures of a moth and a snake on the front.

"New weapons…?" Liss asked, not wanting to guess too far off with how little she really knew of what Jack and Shardak were capable of.

"In a sense," Jack smiled, and pointed to the jewel. "This is the Royal Core. It can draw out the spirits of the original wielders of your cards' powers, giving you an ally in battle. It requires constant concentration to sustain them, but we had a feeling you might soon be in a situation where it could save your life.

"And it can do more. Touching the Core will summon an ally, but holding your hand onto its surface will trigger a more powerful attack still. It will tax your body, but we believe it will be powerful enough to destroy even a giant Mythos monster with ease."

"A Revenant," Liss said.

"What?"

"A Revenant," Liss explained. "I…heard one of them talking last night. That's what they call the big ones that appear after a regular one dies, apparently," Liss said.

Jack nodded, seeming unsettled by what Liss had told him about, but indicated the other contents of the box with a wave of his hand. "These can be turned into spies to search for anything you need, with only a small transference of energy. We call them Wild Cards, because, you see-"

"Because they're wild animals on cards, got it," Liss said. "But why a moth and a snake? Why not like a wolf and a hawk? Something stronger? Or cooler?"

Jack shrugged, smiling a bit knowingly. "Trying to make these our own, I suppose. You aren't the first Kamen Rider to have such aids. One even had something like that this turned itself into a hamburger." Liss gave him a bizarre look. Jack went on, "Anyway, I must be off. There are many preparations to make. We may be able to cut the Mythos off at the source, if we can only find that 'lost soul'."

"I don't know if I want to be called one of those," Liss said, then murmured, "I have a feeling she might be close."

Every in the room was on her suddenly. "And what gives you that feeling?" Sue was the first to ask.

"I just have it. I think she was asking me to save her," Liss said quietly.

Slowly, Jack nodded. "Then we may be able to end this even sooner than we suspected. I'll see about some help soon. Be brave, Liss," he said. Then the air seemed to stretch for a second, and Jack was gone.

His absence hung in the air for a second before anyone spoke. "Well, aren't you gonna try out your new thing, Liss?" Virginia asked.

Almost tentatively Liss took out her Swords card and loaded it. "Swords Suit!" the Fate Driver announced same as ever, and in a second she'd become Tarock again. She hooked the Royal Core onto her belt then lightly tapped it with her palm. The Fate Driver spoke again: "Coronation! Queen of Swords!"

Virginia yelped in surprise and jumped back as a human shape appeared next to Tarock. It was a woman clad in bright red armor and holding a sword that looked just like Tarock's own. And without a word she went into a battle stance.

Tarock sighed and the woman flickered out of sight. It was going to be a useful new power once she figured it out, she was sure, and she could stand as many of those as she could get with an enemy who wasn't just strong but smart, like the Warlock. But on that night, when she was legally a woman, after her meeting with the Warlock, her dream-meeting with Lost, and her conversations with Sue and Paige…she felt less sure than ever about her part in the epic confrontation going on with her right in the middle.

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Lost: I can feel you coming closer and closer…

(Liss explores underground tunnels in her Swords Form)

Donis: I'm so close…you must fall, Tarock.

(Tarock and the Queen fight against Ven and Donis)

Vaga: They just need me here a little longer, Liss. I'm coming home to help, I swear!

(Vaga desperately fends off a spider-like Mythos)

Liss: We can stop this all at once if we find Lost…but how?

(Lost huddles in a darkened concrete room, then starts to wretch)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading all the way to the end! I understand this chapter was kind of busy but I've always wanted the story element to run deep.<strong>

**Seems the Mythos are getting even more formidable with the appearance of the Warlock. Any horror gamers reading might've already picked up on who he is and other ways he might be messing with Tarock and her friends. Luckily she's gotten a new power that might help even the odds if she can master it.**

**Things are picking up, and I hope you're looking forward to seeing where they go. Happy Halloween!**


	16. Chapter 16: Crimson Queens

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Sixteen: Crimson Queens

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Expecting mostly battle, Liss was surprised to encounter people who saw her as a powerful ally and savior for fighting the Mythos. She found more than her share of enemies as well, including the people of the city of Mazones, ruled by Arcana who considered Tarock a menace for killing one of their number ages ago. After a shaking experience in Mazones, Liss returned to Earth recover.

But the battle continues to rage and to prepare her for greater battles Liss was given the Royal Core, a crystal able to summon the likeness of her cards' original users to help fight. As she prepares to go after the source of the Mythos, she'll need all the help she can get…

* * *

><p>The light of the concrete room burned down on Lost, interrupted every few seconds by the rotation of the fan just below. It had been set up like that to make it impossible for her to achieve any note of peace or stability, she was sure. As if her life hadn't been bleak enough before, always desperately searching for help she wasn't sure even existed, spewing that awful darkness and then having to run before it arose into something itching to capture her and take her to its mistress.<p>

But the last time she'd been too tired, too slow. And it had caught her. Now, here she was.

Lost huddled herself in the farthest, darkest corner of her cell as she felt the familiar quivering that was the first sign of another "attack" coming. The oily black mess started to drip from her nose, her mouth, under her fingernails and under her eyes.

She was as far away from the circular grate in the middle of the room as she could get as she spasmed and she collapsed on the floor, gushing a river of black slime from her body. It felt like she wretched and spasmed for hours before it stopped, but she was sure if nothing else it had lasted even longer than the last time.

At first it had felt like she was regurgitating tar, but as it happened more and more often, and she released more and more of that horrible stuff that spawned the Mythos she didn't feel or taste anything anymore. Lately the droplets had even been seeping from her arms. Her attacks were getting worse, she was sure.

She'd hoped the sludge wouldn't flow into the grate if she'd been far enough away when the next attack came, but flow it did as if drawn to the grate by a magnet, leaving a black stain on the floor in its path.

Quivering from the strain on her body of what she'd just been through, Lost pulled herself into a sitting position. All she could do was wait, reaching out for Tarock's mind and hoping she could make contact again. Before things got even worse…

* * *

><p>The Mythos thought himself lucky.<p>

Behind him a pair of hulking, yellow-skinned Trolls threw themselves against the giant stone Arcanum who protected the gates of Avalon. They were only half his height but they threw themselves against him repeatedly to keep him from recovering enough to fight back.

Roc turned both sets of his eyes toward the imperial palace looming up before him, and tucked his wings in to start a dive toward the main tower. If their suspicions were correct they might have a chance to rid themselves of Emperor Solymen himself. He was one of the most powerful of the surviving Arcana, but that they'd seen him use his power so rarely suggested to his enemies he wasn't much of a warrior anymore.

He landed on the balcony of the main tower and tore the doors leading inside off their hinges. A pair of pike-wielding guards came charging up the stairs at him, but the Mythos reared back one head and spewed a stream of power that punched a hole through the wall of the tower and blew them out through it.

He descended the stairs as quickly as his taloned feet could take them, stopping suddenly when he came to the next floor. The doors hung wide open, and standing there, unmistakable in his royal blue robes and simple golden crown, was Emperor Solymen himself. His long beard hid most of his face, but the area around his eyes was lined with fatigue.

Still, the Mythos didn't attack head-on. He shrieked with both mouths and spread his wings wide to look threatening, like the people expected a monster to do. Solymen grimaced and raised a hand glowing with red power. He loosed a bolt of energy at Roc who was already springing toward the wall to let the blast shatter stone fifteen feet behind him. Roc vaulted off the wall and came shooting at the Emperor, spreading his wings and tucking in his legs to avoid having them blown off by the next blast

Roc opened both beaks and spewed a beam of his own at the Emperor from one and a barrage of glowing orbs from the other. The floor at the Emperor's feet exploded with dust from stray shots and the beam caught him flat in the chest. Solymen gasped as he was pushed back foot after foot…

…then Roc was suddenly surrounded by a bright red bubble. For a second he could feel it heating up, then he and it burst and splattered blue ichor up and down the hallway which evaporated a second later.

Limping over to a window overlooking the city, Solymen peered out in time to see one enormous Troll grab Sentos, pinning the stone behemoth's arms to his sides. The other Troll backed up and then charged, slamming his shoulder against Sentos's back and sending pieces of rock flying off. He backed up for another charge, and a massive red blast ripped across the rooftops from Solymen's hands. The Troll was vaporized where he stood.

The other Mythos, surprised at the sudden extermination of his ally, froze for just the second Sentos needed to pull an arm free and bring his stone fist down hard on the Troll's shoulders. The Troll lost his grip and before he could recover Sentos grabbed one arm, lifted the Mythos over his head and slammed him down so hard the floor rumbled and cracked even as far as the Emperor's vantage point.

The Troll erupted into a cloud of blue smoke that was quickly whisked away on the wind, but Solymen didn't see it. He'd crumpled to his knees after that display of power, and it was all he could do to hold himself in a crouch with his quivering arms. Seemingly out of nowhere appeared a man in flamboyant medieval attire who hoisted Solymen up and helped him to a padded chair.

"I don't mean to cast aspersions," he said, "but is the burden perhaps getting heavy, friend?"

"It wouldn't be if there were time to rest, Jack," Solymen gasped. "But they know that, that's why these are happening even more often. It's as if there's no end to them." He took a breath to steady himself. "And it's why I don't dare heed your warnings about a purge."

"Of course I'm not asking you to abandon your people. But you'll have an alternative before long."

Solymen pulled himself upright in the chair. "If suitable volunteers can be found," he corrected Jack. "My people are scared. You want the people to stand up and fight for themselves. Well they have, Jack. The strongest, the bravest…most of them are already gone from defending this city. What are the strongest weapons in the Sphere worth without those who can use them?"

Jack smiled faintly. "Greatness can sometimes be found where it's least expected," he said.

"Ah yes, I've met that new Tarock, as a matter of fact. Fought a huge Mythos, but she was gone with that card as soon as it was over and hasn't been back since. Where is she now, Jack? Do you even know? And how can you even entrust that much responsibility to someone driven by that much anger? I'm all for gathering powerful allies, but pinning all your hopes on _her_…"

Before Solymen had even finished Jack held out his hand and a projection was beaming up from it. A projection Solymen's rheumy eyes took a moment to recognize as the teenage girl who'd come to his court so long ago. A young girl was lying on the street, her clothes on fire, but Liss ran over and beat them out with her coat. Then as soon as the girl seemed all right, Liss strapped on her belt and transformed into a suit of blue armor.

"I have some idea," Jack said, a small, wry smile on his face. "And I have reason to believe she's exceeding everyone's expectations for her. Even if that isn't something she's concerned with herself." The image faded and Jack put the card away. "I don't ask you to abandon your people, Solymen. But try to prepare them for a time when they may need to abide without you."

A sigh escaped Solymen's lips. A long, thin sound that seemed as if it had been trapped within him for an eternity. He looked up at Jack again, but this time with a small wry smile not unlike Jack's own.

"Perhaps I can think of a few brave souls to encourage," Solymen said. Jack smiled and nodded.

* * *

><p>Sparks flew through the air. Vaga stumbled backward from the vicious blow of the Mythos's claw-like hand, tripped over a large rock and went sprawling. He looked up, catching the glint of an active Wild Card in the grass nearby he knew was recording the fight for Jack and Shardak's little PR campaign. He wondered for a second how much this fight really helped their goals, with that being the latest in a couple of hard knocks the monster had gotten in on him.<p>

A strand of silk-like thread shot out and coiled around Vaga's arm, jerking him to his feet suddenly. The thread was anchored inside the mouth of the monster's pale human-like, womanly face, which looked so _wrong_ against the black armor covering the rest of her and the six hairy arms swaying at her sides. He pulled against the thread, just as Air Talon, the metal gryphon who was Vaga's unlikely ally, struggled against a web of the threads covering his body.

Vaga swung his spear with all his might and cleaved through the cord. The monster staggered a few steps as it was cut suddenly but Vaga rushed her before she could recover. The tip of his spear gouged into her stomach through a gap in her exoskeleton. She hissed in pain and was about to spew another line of her threads when Vaga pulled back with all his strength and hurled her a good thirty feet.

But in midair the Mythos turned and landed on her feet, all eight of them. She scuttled in Vaga's direction, zigzagging back and forth to keep him from being able to focus on where she was long enough for him to attack. Suddenly she pounced at him, fangs glistening green with some kind of poison. Vaga jumped back and brought the haft of his weapon down hard against her side, knocking her flat on the ground. She scrambled to her feet and Vaga moved to stop her before she could attack him again.

"Vaga Kick!" called his bracelet and he jumped at the fallen spider monster, outstretched foot glowing green. She was knocked off her feet, spraying blue slime from the new hole in her armor plating shaped like Vaga's foot. She spat a web-line that coiled around the haft of Vaga's spear to pull it from his hand, but he twisted it to aim the point at her new wound and let her jerk the weapon from his hands. She shrieked in surprise as the Lancer stabbed into her chest, more blue slime flying.

Enough of this crap, he thought. He concentrated all his power and his bracelet spoke, "Vaga Nova!" It was a huge expenditure of energy, but he didn't care.

He threw a punch and a glowing green circle hung in the air. He punched again and again, making two more. Light flowed between them, forming a triangle, and then a wider circle rippling with energy. Finally Vaga shouted as he threw one last punch at the center of the circle and the energy he'd created shot out in a giant burst, engulfing the spider Mythos. She screeched before dissolving into smoke.

Vaga waited a minute to see if the Mythos reappeared as something bigger and stronger. A giant spider Mythos had been Liss's first enemy, and she'd been a lot bigger than that from what he'd heard. But nothing happened. The Mythos was dead. Vaga cut Air Talon free, and jumped on for the ride back to Avalon. He had one thing to check on, then he was gone.

Whatever they thought of it.

* * *

><p>Hastily Uthar wiped a sheet of sweat off his dark skin. It was barely dawn but he'd already been up for hours overseeing repairs to the city wall when the Emperor called for him personally.<p>

Now, he watched uncertainly as Emperor Solymen walked slowly through the palace gardens, picking up the blossom of a purple rosebush and regarding it thoughtfully before setting it back down. Uthar had gone ahead and ordered a dozen old factories reopened to take advantage of the new designs from their reclusive master weapon craftsman, but the Mythos had been detected more and more often and it was feared they'd be overrun before those new weapons were able to make any difference. Uthar feared the threat to their people had finally worn through the Emperor's mind.

"Sire?" Uthar asked cautiously.

"You have such a strong name," Solymen mumbled, seeming barely aware he wasn't alone. "It was my father's, I think. Or very, very close to it…" He wandered away to gaze at a fountain. In the center was a statue of a slim woman in a long dress, holding a cocked bow and arrow. Since being permitted into the palace grounds Uthar had always wondered who the woman was supposed to be. Emperor Solymen stared at the statue's weather-beaten face so intently there must've been an answer.

"Sire?" Uthar repeated. "Is…all well?" he asked slowly. Solymen smiled, and if it was possible even more wrinkles had formed around his eyes than when Uthar had entered his service.

"You're wondering if I'm losing my mind, if I'm not mistaken," Solymen said gently. "I don't think so, Uthar. If anything, some of it's coming back. We had a visit from Jack the other day, remember?"

Uthar's jaw tightened. "Yes, I remember. He and that hermit he's friends with almost-" he said, but Solymen held up a hand to stop him.

"They wanted to warn us the Mythos were seeking us out, probably to steal our power, and they're probably right about their suspicions," the Emperor said, patiently but firmly. He looked Uthar straight in the eye then. "Master Shardak didn't always go by that name, but I think he and I worked together once before, ruled another kingdom, led other warriors.

"He had powers I could scarcely understand even then, and it was he who taught me to rule. We and those who served us would sit in a circle and meetings, I recall, and there were…a hundred? Hundred and thirty of us, I think, before it was all over. Have you heard of Master Thyer?"

A little uneasily, Uthar shifted from one foot to the other. "He was an incredibly formidable warrior, from what I _have_ heard. But also that he allied with Shardak and the first Tarock when the Mythos made their first attack. One of the only allies Tarock could find after killing Knight Duric."

The Emperor waved a hand to silence the rumors Uthar was repeating. "Once I wielded an all-conquering sword. I'm supposed to have thrown it into a lake," he smirked slightly, "but I gave it to Master Thyer because my time as a warrior was mostly passed by the time I settled on the Sphere. He was so strong, so dedicated to stamping out evil he didn't listen to a word anyone said about any agendas any Arcana had. Hadn't seen his like in centuries."

"Sire," Uthar said, interrupting as gently as he could. Solymen's reverie broken, he stood up and looked Uthar in the eye with a questioning gaze. Again Uthar shifted uncomfortably, this time at his ruler's penetrating stare. Still he managed to collect himself. "Sire, we have more immediate concerns, do we not? We need to discuss what to do with Valerian's new…creations. If we're to offer to share their designs with Mazones. And the sooner the better, if I may say so…Sentos's leg may snap clean off if he has to face another fight with the shape he's in."

Slowly the Emperor raised his hands and clapped them together, smiling beneath his thick beard. Uthar flicked his eyes back and forth, unsure of what was going on, but then Solymen spoke. "That's why I called you, Uthar. Do you have any idea how many people in this court of mine, even now, are afraid to try to put me back on track?"

"What are you suggesting, sire?" Uthar asked, thoroughly bewildered by what the Emperor had said.

The Emperor opened his mouth to answer when the doors into the gardened swung open suddenly and a masked figure in dirt-caked green armor barged in. "Hey," Vaga said. "I took care of those monsters your guys sighted. If that's all, I'm out of there."

"Don't be so terse when you speak to the Emperor," Uthar admonished him.

"It's all right," Solymen interrupted. "Vaga, please stay a moment longer. I was just about to tell Uthar something I believe you should hear as well. Change is on the horizon. In all likelihood there will need to be new leaders, new champions. Young, vital and proven warriors to protect the people in the days ahead. Like Uthar. Like you, Vaga. And like Tarock," the Emperor said, sounding as if he was trying to make them all equally important.

"Her name isn't Tarock, it's _Liss_," Vaga replied sharply.

The Emperor smiled strangely, a little knowingly at the comment. "Is it? Perhaps I've thought of the mantle as 'Tarock' for so long, I've gotten set in my ways…"

"Whatever," Vaga said. "Your monsters are taken care of and Valerian's got the info he wanted about my suit. I'm going to check on 'Tarock' like I should've a frigging week ago." He turned around and walked back out, not bothering to shut the doors behind him and the dust of his journey shaking off his armor with every step.

After Vaga was out of sight, Uthar asked, "Champions like him?"

"Not just like him," Solymen reminded him. Uthar gave his ruler an incredulous look.

* * *

><p>Air Talon galloped down the avenue of the small tents and huts that'd been built outside the walls of Avalon, home to many of the refugees unable to find space inside the city itself. Around Vaga the air felt as if it was stretching and then he and his mount were gone, flying instead through the black void that lay between the Sphere and Earth.<p>

As Earth grew bigger and bigger in his lenses, Vaga felt the frustration he'd vented in front of the Emperor start to drain away. Once he was home, maybe he wouldn't be in a place where he was in the best position to be the big hero he'd imagined himself the first time he'd changed into a superhuman. But the people, the places, the problems, they'd be ones he'd seen for years. And of course, he'd be able to keep an eye on Liss herself.

Not that she needed any looking after, he admitted to himself and smirked behind his mask.

Earth loomed closer and closer and then he was cruising to a stop along an empty street in that familiar town of theirs. Or at least it had been familiar when he left. People were walking around, and not looking over their shoulders for someone to spring out and demand their money. All the windows looked clean and most were actually open to let the cool midsummer air in.

Vaga dismounted and let his powers fade, leaving a tired and dirty Ben Corland in his place. He pulled a pair of cards out of his pockets, pushed a small amount of energy into each. The cards shimmered and changed into a crystal shape, one a moth and the other a snake.

"Find Liss," Ben said, even as they left his hands and disappeared into the buildings surrounding him. "I need to know she's doing all right," he added even once they were out of sight.

* * *

><p>A transparent moth started to descend as it approached an empty lot. Empty except for the warrior in red and black armor who held out her hand for the moth to land in before it reverted to the form of a card. With only a thought from Tarock the card projected an image into the air of what it had seen on its recon mission.<p>

The deserted amusement park and large room holding the rusting remains of a swing ride were familiar but Tarock ignored them. She wanted to see what her little spy had found beyond it, and didn't have long to wait.

The view passed through a back room, down a hall into unlit underground maintenance tunnels. After a few minutes it stopped and suddenly ducked into a side passage when something roughly humanoid passed, but something unimpeded by the darkness of the tunnel. What could that be but some Mythos horror?

The projection made a circuit of the tunnels she'd seen three times from as many recon trips, but still nothing that gave her any idea if Lost was being held there, or in any of the other buildings they'd scouted for her over the last couple of days.

Still, it was the most obvious answer: close to you but closer to them, as Lost had said in Tarock's dream, and some rich weirdo deciding to reopen the decrepit amusement park because of her fighting monsters. That was probably where the Mythos were holding her. Or was it all just some kind of trick to keep Tarock busy there while the real Lost was being chased down somewhere else…?

But it was her only lead, and if she was going down there she going to be ready. Tarock sighed and put the card in the pouch on her belt with one hand and touched the Royal Core hanging from the other side with her other hand.

"Coronation! Queen of Swords!" said her belt buckle. An image of a woman in red armor wielding a two-handed sword appeared beside her. Tarock concentrated and the Queen raised her sword and went into a battle stance.

Tarock and Queen moved back and forth in a figure-8 pattern, Tarock having to think of the actions Queen took while also seeing through both her own eyes and Queen's. It had been overwhelming the first couple times, and Tarock hadn't been able to hold onto the concentration she needed to maintain her strange ghostly companion, causing her to fade away until Tarock called her again.

After a couple days of practicing nonstop, isolating herself from everything except helping out at kung-fu class and her evening sparring sessions, it was getting easy enough to maintain the concentration she needed. She hadn't had a chance to try it out in actual combat yet, which worried Tarock. It was almost as if the Mythos knew she knew about them being at the amusement park and were waiting for her to come to them. If that was true, they probably had something really nasty waiting for her…

Then she noticed something and paused in confusion for a second before realizing it was through Queen's eyes. A figure in familiar white armor aimed a bow and fired a glowing arrow. Tarock and Queen scattered with the arrow exploding where they'd been with enough power they could feel the heat even twenty feet away.

"You still wanna piece?!" Tarock shouted and raised her sword high to show she was ready to fight too. "Come on out, you two! You want a fight, you got one!"

Not to her surprise the answer was a pair of attackers in the familiar black armor of her enemy Ven jumped out of nowhere at her, and three others at Queen, brandishing long saw-edged knives. Tarock caught two of them across her chest and went down while another two of them slashed Queen. The other point of view in Tarock's mind became a blur for a few seconds. She focused harder and Queen's vision returned, then Queen blocked another wild swing from a dagger with her sword and slashed with a strength Tarock wouldn't have thought she had, catching her attacker on the chest and bowling over the other two as they went flying back.

Donis drifted overhead, clutching his bow in his hands but strangely not loading another arrow. "It's no use, Tarock," he said. "This time you won't escape us!"

"Funny how every time somebody says that, they're always wrong," Tarock called back.

Despite having wanted to test her new powers out in an actual fight, Tarock was a little worried about having so many enemies and having to split her concentration. She considered letting Queen fade and handling Ven and Donis herself, but decided against it. The reason why she'd gotten into this was to prove she could handle whatever came her way. Well, something had come her way, and she'd crush it like everything else.

Suddenly Tarock's bladed bracelet was on her wrist. "Calamity! Thunder Lash!" The electric whip uncoiled from her wrist and she snapped it at the pair of Ven-copies standing over her, knocking them both off their feet and giving Tarock the time to get to her own.

"Time to go to work," Tarock whispered.

Queen charged her three opponents with her shoulder, taking a slash across her back as she went but managing to scatter the three of them and dash past. She turned and brandished her sword at her opponents, who recovered and ran to attack. But as they did Tarock rushed past the three Vens and brought them all down with a powerful swing of her Skycalibur across their backs. All went down and the one in the center was sent flying into thei air to disappear completely from the strength of Tarock's blow.

Suddenly Donis flew down from above and chopped Tarock on the shoulder, making her arm suddenly go numb and her sword drop from her hand. He lashed out at Queen to disarm her next. She didn't even move from the attack, and before Donis could get over his confusion Tarock went into a spin kick that crunched against his back.

Tarock looked at Queen, who looked back, and Tarock could see her own masked face in her mind's eye. Of course a numbing attack hadn't worked. Queen was made up completely of the power of Tarock's Card of Swords.

She didn't have long to dwell on it, Ven screaming as she ran forward and stabbing her Dark Gasher at Tarock's chest. Queen moved forward and parried the blade on her own. Tarock threw the hardest punch she possibly could with her good arm and connected with Ven's face. There was a crunch and Tarock was sure pieces had gone flying off.

Ven reeled back, clutching her mask, then rose off the ground and hovered far out of Tarock's reach. Her copies shot into the air as well, then two came diving at Tarock from different directions.

Tarock back-flipped out of their way alongside Queen who landed brandishing her sword. The air whistled as Donis swung the shaft of his bow at Tarock's head, but she ducked and it struck Queen across the shoulder's. That extra vision in Tarock's mind blurred again for a second and she had to grit her teeth and pour all of her concentration into holding onto that link. A second later Queen had stabilized but Ven's surviving clones were dive-bombing her all at once. Two plowed into Tarock, grabbing her by the arms and pushing her to the ground. The last Ven-copy landed feet-first on Tarock's chest and knocked the breath out of her.

Queen rushed to help Tarock but Donis jumped in her way, blocking her sword with his bow and pushing her away from Tarock as they dueled.

"Looks like you finally got me," Tarock said. "Guess my murder spree's coming to an early end. Oh wait, there wasn't one."

The true Ven drifted down and kicked Tarock in the head. "If you're so innocent, why were you hiding out in Mazones?" she demanded. "If you're so righteous why didn't you reveal yourself as a show of good faith? Show the Empress you meant her and her allies no harm?"

"Gee, maybe it's because all I did was wear this belt and killed a bunch of the same monsters they wanted dead too. For that, they sent assassins after me before I ever got anywhere near that place and before I did anything to them!" Tarock spat. She could feel her arm again, and knew she'd be able to fight back in just a second. "You know, you look a lot like one of them!"

"Shut up!" Ven barked, and one of her copies holding Tarock down punched her in the head. But that weakening of their hold on Tarock was all she needed to yank her arm free, grab the leg of the Ven-copy standing on top of her and tip her onto the real Ven. The Ven-copy who'd punched Tarock grabbed for her arm again only for Tarock to deliver a punch to her chest, knocking the Ven-copy away The last Ven-copy raised her Dark Gasher but Tarock grabbed the hand holding the weapon and headbutted her hard, knocking the dark-armored attacker down.

Tarock jumped, landed in a somersault near her fallen Skycalibur, grabbed it and in one fluid motion rolled to her feed with her blade pointed at Ven and her gang of copies. Meanwhile Queen knocked Donis back as his bow started to glow again. He laughed and took to the air, pulling back his hand and causing an arrow to appear.

"Goodbye, Tarock! You and your new friend!" Donis said as he hung safely out of reach and took aim.

Then suddenly Queen and Tarock both jumped high into the air, but nowhere near high enough to reach Donis before he fired. But without warning Tarock planted her foot on Queen's shoulder and jumped again, high enough to slam her fist into Donis's chest. He grunted in surprise and fell from the sky, landing in front of Ven and her copies.

Followed by his arrow.

The explosion ripped through the lot. It cleared after a few seconds, leaving a pair of dirt-smeared unarmored people on the ground in its wake, and Tarock let Queen fade away. "See? You said you couldn't lose, and you lost," Tarock said.

Then she turned and walked away from them.

"What…what are you doing?!" Nema screamed.

"Nothing," Tarock said. "The same thing I did to any of the Arcana unless they came after me first. Go back and tell your bosses about that."

She got on Shift Runner and roared away as fast as she could. Nobody would think Ven and Donis were on her side after what just happened, but with them showing up too she was afraid it hadn't gone unnoticed by the Mythos. If they learned about her fighting it out with Ven and Donis nearby, they might get nervous and decide to move Lost somewhere else. And if Tarock's hunch was right, she couldn't give them the chance.

* * *

><p>The gate in the chain link fence around Marvel Land was padlocked closed, but Tarock rammed right through it on Shift Runner. No monsters were streaming of old buildings or maintenance tunnels to protect their treasure, but she didn't let that keep her from thinking she was in the right place. There was a distant but constant feeling of cold on her arm, confirming if nothing else the place was a Mythos nesting ground.<p>

Well, not for long…

She kicked open the door to what faded paint around it indicated was probably some kind of jungle ride once. The coldness on her arm sharpened and she didn't have to look far to see why.

Hovering between two plaster statues of an elephant and a lion was the Warlock Mythos himself, the glow from the end of his staff intensifying as she came in.

"Good evening, Tarock," he said with mock cordialness. "How _have_ you been?"

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Warlock: So eager to join us, are you, human?

(Tarock and the Warlock duel as monsters rush into the building)

Liss: I don't care if there's one of you or a million.

(Lost cowers in her cell, but Tarock kicks in the door)

Lost: Be careful Tarock, they're going to release…

(A formless black blob with countless tentacles and mouths slithers down the hallway toward Tarock and Lost)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	17. Chapter 17: Found

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Seventeen: Found

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Expecting mostly battle, Liss was surprised to encounter people who saw her as a powerful ally and savior for fighting the Mythos. She found more than her share of enemies as well, including the people of the city of Mazones, ruled by Arcana who considered Tarock a menace for killing one of their number ages ago. After a shaking experience in Mazones, Liss returned to Earth recover.

With the help of her old kung-fu teacher Liss toughened herself while waiting for further developments. One came when she was contacted by Lost, the strange girl who spews the dark ooze that Mythos monsters spawn from, asking for help. Liss had been planning to master a new power before going to investigate the old amusement park where she believed Lost was being held. However, after a surprise attack by a pair of her enemies from the Sphere, Liss decided there was no time to waste…

* * *

><p>"Good evening, Tarock," said the Warlock Mythos with mock cordialness as he hovered off the ground in front of her. "How <em>have<em> you been?"

She didn't answer his smarmy banter. That wasn't what she was there for, and he wasn't an enemy she could spare the energy to fight with all the ones she was sure were lurking below. And with a Mythos with not only overwhelming power but a brain being sent to face her, Tarock felt more sure than ever she was right about them keeping Lost captive in the depths of the old park.

Tarock only leveled Skycalibur at him. "Oh come now," said the Warlock, sounding annoyed. "Surely you've not come to insist on fighting after my generous invitation, have you? You can strike us down, but how many? No being's strength is limitless, not even Tarock's!"

"Not even yours, huh?" Tarock muttered, then loaded her blue card into her Fate Driver.

**"Wands Suit!" **her Fate Driver called out. Tarock's red armor shattered before lighter blue armor formed over her black undersuit, and the feeling of strength of her Swords Form faded, channeling instead into a feeling of immense speed just waiting to be called forth.

From out of the shadows slithered a mass of Mythos monsters. One was nothing but bone, clutching a long knife that looked like it'd been carved out of someone's leg itself. A two-headed troll with no weapons but hands the size of manhole covers. A fanged, winged monster with a leathery hide, who looked just like the one who'd killed and replaced her vice principal so long ago. They started toward her, and the gem on Warlock's staff pulsed with power.

**"Grav!"** Warlock's staff said and immediately Tarock could feel an incredible weight crushing down on her, but she wasn't powerless herself.

"Mag Step," she whispered, then dashed away from the area affected by Warlock's power. She moved so quickly everyone else seemed to be standing still, and came up behind where Warlock floated. She ignored the other monsters for the moment, focusing all her concentration on kicking Warlock in the back again and again until her entire body ached too much to continue and everything started to move again.

Warlock gasped in pain and went flying forward. Blue ooze trickled down his back. He probably hadn't expected anyone to be able to get close enough to hurt him if the kicks in Tarock's weakest form could do that much damage.

**"Calamity! Dragon's Maw!"** the Fate Driver called as soon as Warlock had whipped around to face her. A wave of blue-tinged flame surged from the end of her wand, and Warlock only managed to raise his staff and deflect it around his body at the last second.

**"Burst!"** called Warlock's staff and beams of fiery energy ripped from the tip as he waved it in a wide arc, sending up huge explosions as they hit the ground. A second later the blasts cleared, but there was no trace of Tarock.

"Find her!" Warlock barked. Already the monsters were forming into groups and dashing out of the room through the doors leading deeper into the building. They already knew what was at stake.

* * *

><p>Tarock jumped down fifteen stairs at once. She could hear the snarling of a pack of monsters not far behind, but her attention was focused more on the cold feeling on her arm. On the way to the park she'd been hoping it might be able to lead her to Lost, but there was only a mild chill she figured was from the monsters all over the place. Maybe they had Lost buried really deep, or Tarock could only sense her power when she was puking up a monster.<p>

This building had been the first one she'd come to; that was why she'd started her search there even when her spying with the Wild Cards hadn't turned up anything particularly suspicious anywhere she'd looked.

But…maybe there was another way. Maybe she just needed to make herself more receptive to make it work.

She found a sturdy-looking supply closet door, opened it and slammed it behind her and twisted the lock closed in a practiced motion. Making sure her weapon was aimed at the door to be ready at a moment's notice if she was attacked, Tarock sat in a corner, trying to clear her mind and focus on the image of Lost's face from the dream.

Her mind started to feel fuzzy at the edges of her awareness. The coldness on her arm from the closeness of Mythos monsters traveled up her arm and spread across her entire body. The arm holding up her wand went slack even as she tried to urge it up in case she was attacked.

But at the edge of her senses there was suddenly another presence. A shadowy mass that radiated feeling of terror, loneliness…only a tiny silver speck of hope within it that salvation was coming. Closer Tarock could hear the angry chatter of monsters as they searched halls and maintenance tunnels, and it stopped for just a second before it picked up again, louder and angrier than before as they felt Tarock reaching out with the strange extra sense which allowed her to detect their kind, and now allowed them to sense her and zero in on her hiding place. Anxiously she called out with her mind, "LOST!"

The tiny silver dot exploded into a blaze, covering the entire dark mass with warmth. "TAROCK!" came Lost's voice, full of relief.

"I don't have long and I don't really know how this works!" Tarock said. "Can you feel me? Can you tell me if I'm close? What way to I need to go to get to you?"

For a second Lost said nothing, and as the screams of the monsters grew even louder Tarock could feel the warmth of Lost's hope reaching out tentatively in her direction. "You're above me…but I don't know exactly how to get where I am."

"I'll figure it out," Tarock said. "I'll be there soon, but they're almost here. I have to go."

"Be careful," Lost said before Tarock focused on shutting down the connection and returning to her normal frame of mind. Feeling returned to her body, and the screams of the monsters remained the same volume but now she was hearing them from just outside the door instead of the fringes of her mind.

Shakily, her body numb like she'd been sitting in one place for hours instead of minutes, Tarock got to her feet. A hunk of the door was torn open by a monster's claws.

**"Woe! Muspel Mace!"** Tarock's wand burst into flame as the metal door groaned and another hole was torn in it. Through it stared a collection of monstrous eyes, and a cacophony of inhuman screams at finding her.

Too bad for them.

* * *

><p>Above, Warlock was reaching out with his senses as well to direct the monsters under his command. He could feel the small blips of the other Mythos as they spread through the halls below, but had lost track of Tarock after a second of her lighting up his senses. But as a few blips went out a level down, he had an idea where she was for that instant.<p>

Then suddenly he was aware of no longer being alone. Beside him hovered a projection of the White Lady.

"I sensed a contact with the source," she said coolly. "What is going on?"

"Tarock's attacking," Warlock replied calmly. "Somehow she found out about our presence here, and is making her way into the lower levels of the complex."

"About which you seem unconcerned," she pointed out.

He chuckled. "You're familiar with the monsters of ages past, my lady," Warlock said. "Perhaps you'd care to see some of the horrors the human mind has conceived while you were away."

* * *

><p>Another wave of shiny black slime trickled across the floor and to the grate. Near the wall Lost lay on the floor, quivering still from the horrible strain of what she'd just been through again. How many more times would that happen? The people she'd met while she was trying to find some safe place to hide…they were all something called "dead." Would that happen to her if she had to go through that too many more times…?<p>

Then she heard a strange sizzling, melting sound and turned toward the heavy metal-door. Lost wondered who could possibly be coming for her when no-one had ever opened that door since she'd been caught and locked into that room. As a ragged seam was burned away, her weary mind realized if any of her captors had come for her, they wouldn't have to melt through the door.

Someone grunted and shoved the door open so hard it banged against the wall. Instead of the Warlock or some malformed beast, though, there stood a female figure in a black suit under light blue armor and mask, scarred in multiple places by claws and blasts. In one hand she held a blue rod with a flaming tip. But amid it all was her belt with a familiar ornate buckle.

"Tarock…" Lost moaned.

"Afraid so," said her rescuer. "Are you okay to go? They torture you or anything?"

"You might say that," Lost replied, and tried to drag herself up on the corner of the old cot they'd given her for a bed. Tarock came over and looped Lost's arm over her shoulder. "We need to leave," Lost gasped. "I heard something when I vomited that stuff up just now. They're sending something horrible after us."

"What? What are they sending out?"

"I don't know…something called a…shug-hoth?" Lost answered, a look of helpless confusion on her face.

"I'll take care of it, whatever it is," Tarock declared. The tension seemed to drain out of Lost's tired face at that, and she simply nodded.

They made their way back into the hall, which was lined with steel security doors. Half of them up one way had burned through as the door to Lost's cell had. "Nobody answered when I knocked, and I had to make sure somehow," Tarock explained. "Kinda figured the deepest floor would be the one to check ut."

"I'm glad they've got someone so determined fighting them," Lost breathed.

Tarock grunted and limped down the hall opposite from the direction she'd come. "Let's get out of here, and then maybe we'll see about who's what."

"Sounds like a fine idea," Lost answered.

* * *

><p>Beneath Lost's cell rested a large metal vat full of the black slime, standing in the middle of a row of other such vats, those behind it empty with others ahead of it already full and capped. The half-filled vat started to shake as the slime inside started to come to life as a new Mythos monster.<p>

As the mass of dark slime started to crawl through the hallway its form solidified into a mass of glistening bubble-like shapes, randomly blinking open every few seconds to reveal green and yellow eye-like organs to let the horrible thing orient itself. As it lurched down the hall and the mass of globes shifted here and there huge fang-filled mouths were exposed then disappeared again inside its bulk. But for the second the mouths appeared they all gave a strange piercing cry, "Tekeli-li…! Tekeli-li…!"

* * *

><p>Lost slumped against Tarock's shoulder. They'd reached another staircase, but after only going one level up Lost had started to have a coughing attack and Tarock stopped and waited for it to pass. Lost spat up a gob of black ooze but Tarock swatted it with her flaming wand as soon as it hit the ground.<p>

But with that done she let the flames fade out. Tarock's body was aching from all the power she'd used already that day, and the powers of her Wands Form were among the most exhausting she had. They hadn't run into any other monsters on the way up, and even as tired as Tarock was feeling to get as far as they had, that worried her.

"You okay?" she asked Lost. "Ready to keep going?" Lost nodded and they started up the next set of stairs. As they went there was the unmistakable sound of running footsteps coming from below, and Tarock peered over the railing to see two dark shapes charging up the stairs while a third flew straight up at her, clipping her mask with the tip of his wing.

Tarock staggered back a few steps, and Lost cried out as she let go of Tarock's arm and fell down hard onto the concrete landing. The Pyre Brand in Tarock's hand flashed and extended into a staff, just in time for that Skeleton with the long bone knife to try to jab it into her ribs. She thrust the end of her weapon into a gap in his own ribcage, hoisted him off the ground and dropped him over the edge of the staircase.

The Vampire dove back down suddenly and tackled Tarock against the wall. She threw punch after punch at his chest but he didn't budge an inch. Her Wands Form was her weakest even when she had all her strength, but the last few battles were catching up to her quickly. Vampire bared his fangs and started to lean toward Tarock's neck. She was grabbing for another card when there was a flash of light and the vampire screamed in pain, a gleaming white arrow jutting from the side of his head. For just a second Tarock concentrated and slipped into her Mag Step power, kicking Vampire a dozen times and sending him flying into the blue-furred Werewolf Mythos who'd just come into view. The two monsters went tumbling down the stairs.

Tarock limped to the edge of the stairs to see them sprawled out on a landing a floor below. She turned to see her rescuer and there stood Vaga, bowgun in hand.

"Looks like I made it just in time," he said in a smirking tone. A glittering snake jumped into his hand and morphed into a card. "You and your friend okay?"

Lost gaped at him. "Another Tarock?"

"Sort of," Tarock herself replied. "Thanks."

"Yuh…uh, you're welcome," he stammered.

The two monsters started scrambling over each other to get back up and Tarock braced herself for another battle when she heard something that made her freeze where she stood. A distant but sharp, inhuman sound chanted over and over. "Tekeli-li…! Tekeli-li…!" The two Mythos started to charge up the stairs toward Tarock, but were stopped when two thick tendrils of shiny black globes whipped out of the hallway below and wrapped around the monsters and pulled them out of sight.

"GO!" Tarock screamed. She looped Lost's arm around her shoulder and lurched up the stairs until Vaga took her other arm and they climbed to the top of the stairs. Behind them the strange chanting cry was getting louder, closer.

"Tekeli-li…! Tekeli-li…! Tekeli-li…!"

Vaga opened the door at the top of the stairs and they ran out into the park grounds behind the rusting remains of an old swing ride. They stumbled away as fast they could while dragging Lost, Vaga kicking the heavy metal door shut behind them.

They'd hardly gone three steps before the door creaked and went flying off its hinges, striking Tarock across the shoulders and knocking her sprawling. Vaga cried out her name but then the doorway exploded into shards of concrete as the hideous mass of glistening spheres and mouths erupted out of it, pushing the forty-foot ride beside it over with a single errant swipe of a tentacle. Its mass reached out, circling around the three of them, and all the while mouths slipped in and out from between the orbs, giving off that horrible repeating cry they'd heard below.

"VAGA NOVA!" Vaga screamed, punching the points of a triangle in the air and unleashed the massive power blast that was his strongest attack. A column of green light shot out and ripped into the roiling body of the gigantic Mythos. Orbs were thrown in all directions and one thick appendage was blown entirely off the hideous mass. It tumbled through the air, already dissolving into blue smoke before it even hit the ground but in another second another mass of orbs seethed from the monster to take its place.

By then Tarock had gotten up and moved to have Lost between Vaga and herself as the monster closed in on them. Vaga had hit it with everything he'd had and still it kept on coming. Could anything stop it?

Tarock sucked in a deep breath. According to Jack, the Royal Core had an even stronger power than calling up an ally for her. But after all the fighting she'd done, all the power she'd thrown around in the last hour…even with how much she'd toughened up sparring with Sensei, could she pull that off? Could the strain even kill her by itself before the monster got near, if she couldn't?

But then, if she didn't take a chance on it in a second they'd be crushed or eaten or whatever the hell this thing did to its victims.

She pressed her palm to the Royal Core for a second, and her Fate Driver called **"Coronation! Ace of Wands!"** Her Pyre Brand flashed and the tip of the staff was replaced with a plate with three barbs sticking out, forming a triangle seen from the front. They were rippling with puffs of energy and Tarock whipped it around to aim her new weapon at where the mass of globes were the thickest.

"**Ace High! Soulfire!"** called out the Fate Driver. Then a jet of flame _gushed_ from the spikes on the Pyre Brand, pushing Tarock back ten feet. The flame didn't burn at the monster to Tarock's dismay, but then she saw it was flowing between each of the orbs, spreading through the entire mass. As the coiling fingers of fire went deeper and deeper the orbs at the front crumbled into huge mounds of black dust.

The Mythos thrashed violently and shook the ground as more and more of its body was consumed by the power of Tarock's attack racing through each orb. The mouths appeared from its mass faster and faster, crying out faster and shriller, until nothing was left but a jagged hole in the ground and piles and piles of dust that a second ago had been trying to absorb them.

"How…how the hell did you do that?" Vaga gaped at the display of power he'd just witnessed.

Tarock grunted and waved at the Royal Core on her belt, too exhausted to rise from her knees or deliver any elaborate explanations. "You've got _another_ power now?" Vaga groaned.

"Yeah, Jack gave it to me for my birthday," Tarock said.

"Wait, I missed your birthday?!" Vaga gasped. "Oh god, I'm-"

"You're worried about the dumbest thing in the world right now, you know that right?!" Tarock cut him off. "We have to get out of here, now! Before they send something else after us!"

"Right!" Vaga said and tossed a disc of metal into the air that flashed and turned into the Air Talon, which he immediately jumped on. He held out a hand and Lost climbed up behind him. Tarock threw a disc of her own that flashed and transformed back into Shift Runner's bike form. She staggered onto the seat and immediately started to speed down the avenue in front of them. Vaga was right beside her and the air seemed to stretch around them as they reached the speed where they left Earth behind

Swarms of monsters emerged into the avenue from numerous buildings and manholes, but all there was left to find were piles of dust.

* * *

><p>Tarock led the way as they approached the Sphere, but the only destination she had in mind was one with no enemies around, and they came to a stop at a small stone hill with a cascading waterfall on the nearest side. As soon as Shift Runner stopped Tarock lurched off and fell face down in the grass, flickering back to Liss.<p>

Vaga jumped down and knelt by her side, his own armor dissolving away as he did. "Is she all right?" Lost asked, wringing her bony hands in worry.

"I'm fine," Liss groaned. "None of them got me that bad, I'm just exhausted from using all that power."

Ben laughed a little. "No kidding! Damn, Liss, that was amazing!" As he talked he took off his jacket, folded it up and then lifted Liss up so he could put it on the ground and lower her head back down on it. "You looked just like a real wizard with that thing when you took care of that monster!" he said with a smirk.

"You start giving me crap and as soon as I can stand up I'm gonna kick your ass," Liss groaned.

"Whatever, Gandalf," Ben said with a grin and walked over to Shift Runner and started going through the storage compartments on the sides. "…Liss? All the food you have is hot dogs and spam."

"Sorry, I couldn't fit a microwave in there," Liss replied.

"Well anyway," he asked, "What's the plan?"

Liss gave him a confused look. "Why are you asking me?"

"You're the one with the most experience," Ben shrugged. "You're the one who tracked her down and got away from the monsters."

"Well," Liss said, "I was going to take her to Shardak to see if he could help figure out a way to keep her from making more monsters."

Ben sighed. "I see. Well, if we're cooking out I should go get some firewood. You ladies hang here and catch your breath, I'll be back soon."

"And what the hell's that supposed to mean?" Liss yelled, but Ben walked away into a stand of trees.

Lost looked at her curiously. "What else would he mean by that?" she asked. Liss flipped herself over onto her back and shook her head.

"Never mind. I'm just tired," Liss answered and sprawled out.

"Thank you for coming," Lost said softly, almost whispering.

"Nobody should have people doing things like that to them," Liss said. "Maybe that didn't exactly happen to me, but I know what it's like to have bigger people push you around."

"I'm sorry it sounds like you didn't have anyone to come and save you from them," Lost replied, but Liss shook her head.

"I'm not waiting for anybody to do anything for me anymore," Liss replied, looking away. "I got that beat out of me a long time ago."

Lost went over to the pool of the waterfall and took several long gulps, then let out a relieved sigh. She didn't strictly need to drink, she'd found, but after a few of her "attacks," a nice cold drink was one of the few real reliefs she'd found. "Then I'm sorry it was painful learning you had to fend for yourself."

Liss sat up and turned to face her. "Being able to fight your own battles isn't a weakness."

"But can you fight all of them yourself?" Lost asked.

Liss said nothing.

* * *

><p>Lurian finished cleaning a particularly nasty abrasion on his wife's arm from their battle with Tarock, and tied a bandage around it. Nema finally felt able to get to her feet after that, but Lurian lightly held onto her shoulders as she did. "What now?" she asked.<p>

"I don't know," Lurian sighed. "I don't imagine the Arcana will welcome us back after Tarock slipped through our fingers again…"

"That is an understatement," said two voices, male and female, in perfect unity. Light surged from their bracelets and a projection of Mila and Felco, the Arcana locked in their eternal embrace and glaring at the two humans in extreme displeasure.

"You were given the might of the Arcana!" stated Mila, "A power second only to the almighty Empress herself! And again and again, Tarock evaded you or defeated you utterly!"

"Return to Mazones at once," Felco demanded.

"And what if we don't?" Nema retorted. Lurian gave his wife a look of horror before it occurred to him she might have a point. With even the Empress likely turned against them, what could possibly be left for them in Mazones?

"You defy us?!" screamed Mila. "Your caretakers, your guardians, those who empowered you?!"

"Tarock's defying you," Nema said. "Strange how she seems to be the only one getting anywhere with the damn Mythos. And she had the chance to finish us off, but didn't take it."

"Only we have the power to rekindle your union," Felco reminded them, "To restore the strength those memories once had."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Lurian replied, and locking gazes with Nema, they both concentrated and broke the connection.

A minute passed before either of them said anything. It was Nema who spoke first. "They're going to be watching, you know."

"Let them," Lurian said. "Let them see what we can do without them. What more will they do, if they gave their power to someone else to do their dirty work in the first place? Is the Empress going to hunt us down when she can't even spare the time to do that to the deadly Tarock herself?"

They started to walk out of the empty lot, Lurian putting his hand on Nema's back. A second later he felt her hand between his own shoulders. "This is an entirely different world," Nema said. "Do you really think we should try to make our way here?"

He patted her reassuringly on the back. "We took on more than that when we were in a worse place, mentally," he reminded her and held up his changing bracelet.

"Since there'd seem to be a fair amount of Mythos on Tarock's home ground, I suppose we find the people in charge around here and offer our services," Nema suggested.

"Sounds like a fine place to start," Lurian smiled.

* * *

><p>After a while Ben got back with an armload of dry branches, and started trying to light a fire with two sticks when Liss showed him while she hadn't managed to bring a microwave, she'd still thought to pack a small can of fire starter and a lighter. A few minutes later they and Lost were gathered around the fire heating up their makeshift meal.<p>

"Okay," Ben said, "can I be sorry for missing your birthday _now_?"

"I'm used to people missing it," Liss said, not taking her eyes off the fire. "It's on the same day as a holiday, it just happens."

"What? Oooooooooooooh. Okay"

"Erm," Lost mumbled, and flinched when Liss and Ben both turned to look at her. "Excuse me, but…I don't understand. What's a 'birthday'?"

"It's a celebration of the day you were born," Ben explained. "Your friends and family get together and give you presents. Liss's is on a day where people already celebrate something, so…not many noticed, I guess."

Lost looked confused, but nodded. "I'm sorry to hear there isn't as much celebration for you, Liss," she said. "I think you were very brave the way you rescued me by yourselves, if that helps."

"I came by myself," Liss replied, and shot Ben a probing glance. "Were you following me?"

"I sent the cards to find you in case you needed help," Ben said pointedly. "And don't forget who saved you when that Vampire-thing was just about to bite your head off."

Liss speared a hunk of spam on a stick and swallowed it. "I said thank you," she said quietly. "And I meant it."

Ben nodded slowly. "Well okay then." He plopped a piece of cooked meat in his mouth and gagged on it. "You were gonna live off this stuff? Tomorrow we'll go to Avalon and stock up on real food before we go and talk to Shardak."

Regarding the others curiously, Lost chewed on a hunk of spam before she swallowed it. "Is there something wrong with this?" she asked. Her body didn't seem to need food, at least not nearly as much as a human's, and she'd never really had the chance to try eating before. Still, Lost felt a bit stronger and more energetic from doing it.

"You'll know after you get the chance to eat some real food," Ben told her. "Nobody's doubting your commitment, Liss. You don't have to prove it by making yourself eat this garbage."

Just to spite him Liss put another piece of spam in her mouth and chewed it as slowly as she could. He flinched as it went down her throat. "Anyway," Liss said. "We should probably take turns watching in case anything shows up to try to get Lost back. I'll go first."

"You really don't need-" Ben started to say, but Liss gave him a sharp look.

"I can handle it," she said.

"I know you can," he said. "We all know you can. I was just trying to help."

"I know," Liss replied, more gently. She and Ben got up and unrolled sleeping bags, and Liss indicated for Lost to take hers. She did with a simple nod, and then for the first time since she could remember went to sleep not fearing one of her attacks or being found by one of her loathsome creations.

When the light of morning crept through the camp Lost stirred, and saw Liss sitting on a log watching out for any intruders. Ben was still sound asleep in his bag.

Had Liss been up all night long standing guard…?

* * *

><p>The morning rush of getting two daughters ready for school hadn't even started yet when Angelo Bell heard something bounce off his bedroom window. He flung open the pane in anger and was about to hurl a mouthful of his best invective when he noticed the person standing in the alley behind his building wasn't a cocky sandy-haired teenage boy.<p>

Instead it was a shortish woman with short dark hair and a familiar intensity in her eyes he could see even from a second-story window. "Morning, Miss Decker. Paige, I mean," he said. "You like to come up?"

"No thanks," Paige said. "I was just wondering if you'd seen my stupid little sister after that light show yesterday. Out by the old amusement park."

"I didn't see any light show, but that's pretty far away," he admitted, then smiled slightly, somewhere between proud and cocky. "It wouldn't surprise me if Liss was the reason for that."

"So she hasn't touched base with you either," Paiged sighed.

"No, I hardly seen her at all except for classes the last week. Trying to figure out that new toy the Robin Hood guy gave her. That why you came over here at this hour? You couldn't have called?"

"I tried. Twice. Her number and yours," Paige answered.

"She can take care of herself pretty well. I wouldn't worry," Angelo said.

"I don't know," Paige replied and sighed. "I just have a really bad feeling about this time…like Liss is in bigger trouble than even she's ever been in."

* * *

><p>"All right," Ben said, "We can stock up here and then we'll see about going to see Shardak."<p>

They were riding slowly down the small street leading up to one of the gates of Avalon between clusters of tents and the people living in them who'd been driven from their homes by the Mythos. Nobody let loose with a resounding cheer, but Liss hadn't been hoping for one. This was a little side trip they were making to satisfy Ben, and then they were going to see Shardak to hopefully figure out their next move. They'd agreed not to bring Lost inside the city in case she coughed up a monster, or she was caught by the guards who might hold her and keep Ben and Liss away out of suspicion. That could be disastrous if a monster showed up suddenly right in the middle of Avalon.

"All right ladies, I'll be back in a little bit," Ben said. "Don't let Liss trick you into eating anything else until then."

After he disappeared into the crush of people entering the city, Lost turned to Liss and asked, "Is he right? About the food we had last night?"

"There's nothing wrong with being able to get by on just the basics," Liss answered. "Nobody said this was supposed to be cool or sexy."

"You sound very dedicated," said Lost, who didn't know what either of those words meant.

"If you're not giving it everything you've got, why are you even there?" Liss asked.

* * *

><p>Tarock spun in midair, flinging huge fireballs at the monster astride his black horse, consuming him completely. It was the third time the men had watched the projection, but still they watched the display of power in awe.<p>

"That's what I'd be able to do?" Jaster asked. He was a big, burly man with a short red Mohawk.

"Not exactly," said Laski, a thin bald man with a drooping mustache and piercing blue eyes. "But close."

"Wish I had a daughter that motivated," muttered Bowan as he stroked his long brown beard.

"So gentleman," asked the young lady behind the desk, trying to keep them on task, "which corps would you be interested in trying out for?"

"Cups," Laski said.

"Swords," Jaster answered.

"None for me, thanks," Bowan said, getting dirty looks from the others, but he ignored them.

"Excellent. Sign here," the lady behind the desk said.

Ben wandered by the low stone building and stopped when he saw the three men outside the entrance watching the projection of what looked an awful lot like Liss in her blue armor in a very familiar town. Hanging above the entrance to the building was a banner with four symbols on it: a sword, a cup, a wand and a five-pointed star.

He smiled lightly. So they were getting some recognition, it looked like. Maybe, things were finally starting to look up for them, he thought.

Looking back, he shouldn't have let himself think that.

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Nema: We're just trying to find a fresh start.

(Lurian and Nema speak to a dubious-looking Angelo and Paige)

Liss: (angrily) I'll crush anyone in my way.

(In her Cups Form, Tarock fires a massive blast from her hand that obliterates a Mythos monster, a row of tents and tears hunks of rock out of the wall of Avalon)

Lost: What am I?

(Liss and Ben look on as Shardak encases Lost in a sheath of light)

Shardak: You're nothing I've ever seen.

(Lost holds onto Ben as he and Liss ride into the wilderness of the Sphere)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

**End Book 2**

* * *

><p>Well, another arc closes on a pretty major turning point. Ben and Liss have saved the source of the Mythos, and they're going to be trying hard to get Lost back. They aren't just drawing from old legends for their monsters either. And there's a hint Ben might not be happy with Liss having way more toys than he does.<p>

The next chapter might be a little ways off. With this arc ended I think I'm going to take some time to nail down my plans for the future and maybe do some work on another fic I've been neglecting. Merry Christmas, everybody!


	18. (Crowning Card) 18: Changing Tide

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Book Three: Crowning Card

Reading Eighteen: Changing Tide

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Many battles followed, testing Liss's fortitude but also giving her the chance to gain powerful allies such as some of the Arcana, powerful immortal creatures who inspired the Tarot deck, and Ben Corland, her ex-boyfriend who can change into Vaga, a powerful warrior form of his own. However, some Arcana automatically consider Liss a menace because the first Tarock was responsible for the death of one of their number.

After her last battle Liss was able to recover a girl who only refers to herself as Lost, and is the source of the Mythos monsters. She and Ben are on their way to the hideout of the wizard Master Shardak to see if he can recommend a solution. But as Liss has come to expect, things are rarely so simple…

* * *

><p>Mila and Felco, the Arcana bound together in an eternal embrace, looked as if they hoped they could break apart and flee the Empress's angered gaze. For minutes that seemed like hours she said nothing, then suddenly Empress Maeve brought down a fist on the armrest of her throne, cracking off the corner and sending it flying toward the other end of the room.<p>

"Wonderful!" she shouted in a rage. "Now thanks to the two of you, we might have another pair of Tarocks on our hands! Fighting with power you gave them! All in the name of proving some point about the power of love!"

"With all due respect," Mila began, "love is the greatest of all things, Empress."

"You've certainly proved that!" Maeve screamed. "I was an idiot to let this happen in the first place! Get out of my sight!" A bolt of violet power jumped from her hand and blasted a hole in the floor in front of the joined Arcana. They locked eyes with the Empress for a second, their expressions completely flat, then drifted out of the throne room. Servants scrambled to open the doors for them, then close them again as soon as Mila and Felco were through so the Empress didn't change her mind about letting them leave intact.

As soon as they were gone, Maeve slumped back in her chair with a sigh. She'd probably just cost herself one of the few allies she still had, but they'd made a foolish choice that had ended with the loss of most of their power and another pair of dangerous renegades on the loose. They hadn't ended her empire's biggest problem, they'd simply created another.

Maeve could only blame herself. If she'd made hunting Tarock down a priority and dealt with that little miscreant while she was still small, it'd allow Maeve to focus on making progress on the fight against the Mythos themselves. Finding the "lost soul" Phythia had said was central to all this.

Instead, the people were getting restless. Fights were even breaking out in the streets and word of looting in the districts near the edge of the wall was trickling constant assaults on the city, along with word that Tarock was still alive even after managing to sneak herself inside their walls, were eroding their faith in the Arcana protecting them. Who knew what damage the news of Ven and Donis's rebelling would do?

At the very least, the farmlands that had survived the attacks—as the Mythos' priority was evidently breaching the wall—were growing crops of an unheard of size. Maeve had no idea why, but wasn't going to question a bit of good news amidst all the bad. Perhaps all the power she'd been unleashing to fend off monsters had given life to the soil. Right now, all that mattered was protecting her people, restoring peace to what remained of her empire, and destroying the threats to it once and for all.

She excused herself from the throne room and returned to her private chambers. It hadn't always been so trying, even when the Mythos had first appeared. She may not have been the warmest of allies toward Solymen and the empire he ruled on the other end of the Sphere, but they were at least cordial.

At least, until the first Tarock, who Maeve had never trusted with so much power, had killed Knight Duric.

Duric. Always foremost among her allies, always the first into a fight and the last to leave. He devoted every waking moment to honing his strength and skill, but he never fought for its own sake. And one night when he'd been leading a detachment of soldiers to clear some Mythos out of the hinterlands, he ran into Tarock. A battle followed, and Duric fell. That was when they'd learned even the Arcana could die. That was when Master Mortis appeared for the first time, only appearing again when another Arcanum fell. It was end of the golden age.

If only Duric had survived. With his influence, the other Arcana would still be in line. They'd be making actual progress against the Mythos incursions. There'd be no Tarock creating new problems of her own. And…and…

…and she wouldn't be all alone in this gigantic palace of hers. Which seemed emptier every day the threat had a chance to get worse.

* * *

><p>Lost took a slow walk along the row of tents with Liss next to her. She was looking a lot healthier and more energetic than when Liss had saved her from the basement of Marvel Land. It had only been a little while, but already the face peeking out of her black hood was almost unrecognizable, flashing a smile at everything she saw. She didn't look anything like the source of an army of monsters, and even though she'd told herself again and again to be careful of Lost so close to one of the big cities, Liss was relaxing around her.<p>

"Let's not go too far," Liss said, a little warningly. "We don't want Ben to have to spend all day looking for us when he gets back."

A bunch of children ran past, laughing and slapping at each other with toy swords. One of them hit Lost in the shin, then another saw what his friend was doing and ran over and hit her two. Liss stepped forward to chase them away but Lost placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. The children looked up at the two of them, flashed ragged grins missing several baby teeth apiece, and ran after their friends.

"They were only playing," Lost said.

"They still shouldn't go hitting strangers," Liss replied.

"I appreciate all you've done for me, but I don't think you need to go out of your way to protect me from children with fake weapons," Lost said with a smile.

Liss sighed. "Okay, okay." She didn't like being told to change her behavior, but those _were_ just kids with toy swords. Not somebody among the many people who were looking for a real fight with her.

"Doesn't it fill you with life?" Lost asked, spreading her arms wide and looking up at the sky.

"I guess," Liss said. As she thought more about it though, she figured somebody like herself, who'd never had someone who was a bigger problem than a nasty vice principal breathing down her neck, might've learned to take the little things for granted. A cloudless day like that day, even if it was the weird yellow of day that close to the bottom of the Sphere, or a cool breeze like the one picking up that always made her feel more alert without even realizing it. "Yeah…yeah I guess it kind of does."

"That's good to hear," Lost smiled, and sucked in a deep breath before sighing happily. "Come to think of, imagine if those children knew they were that close to Tarock herself. Do you think they'd try to form themselves into an army for you, or run away screaming?"

"I'm not looking for fans," Liss said. "I'm looking to prove I can handle anything that comes my way."

"Oh?" Lost asked, her smile dimming. "But, you came to save me when I reached you. If you wanted to prove your strength, there was one there overseeing the others. I haven't felt one as powerful as him before. Warlock, he called himself."

"You were abused and in trouble," Liss replied.

Lost held her head in her hands for a second and turned to Liss. "I don't understand. If you fight to prove your strength, why did you come to save me and not stay to fight Warlock? I saw you fighting the other monsters, you handled them with ease. What does fighting them prove? Did you prove yourself when you killed the shug-hoth…?"

Liss caught her before she fell to the ground, overwhelmed by the conflicting ideas in her head. "Look, never mind," Liss said. "As soon as Ben gets back we'll go see Shardak. Maybe he can figure out how to stop you from having to make any more monsters."

A heavyset woman came up to them and looked Lost over. "She doesn't look well, maybe you'd better her let her lie down," she suggested, and tried to Lost up by the shoulders.

But then Liss's arm tingled with cold. "Get away from her," Liss said in no uncertain terms and pulled Lost away.

A shining black layer formed over the woman's eyes for the barest fraction of a second, but Liss didn't miss it. "I'm only trying to help your friend. She looks like she's been through quite an ordeal." The cold on Liss's arm intensified, turning into a painful itch as if something was growing on her skin. She fastened the Fate Driver around her waist.

All of a sudden the woman jumped fifteen feet straight backward. Her eyes turned a blazing red and an ugly smirk formed on her lips. Three men appeared from the rows of tents and gathered around her. "Never could fool you, Tarock," the woman said in the White Lady's voice. "You and I are so alike, after all…"

The cluster of people suddenly started to emit black slime from their skin, and in less than a second they were completely coated. Lost screamed and scrambled backward. The people flowed together and took the shape of a rider on horseback, and Liss remembered the monster she'd fought on Halloween. Would it be another Headless Horseman?

The mass of slime solidified into a grisly monster, indeed with the shape of a horse and a rider grafted to its back, but with no skin and all muscle and fiber exposed. Stringy gray hair hung from the rider's head, and the horse's was only a bleached skull with a single blood-red, baseball-sized eye lodged in it. The arms of the human portion were twice as long as they should've been, and his hands big enough to crush a person's skull.

"I am Nuckelavee, the death from the sea!" the White Lady's voice spoke from the rider's mouth. "Let all who dare face me wither!" Then both rider and horse opened their mouths wide and wisps of black mist drifted out. Any grass it touched turned brown and wilted immediately, and people who were looking out at what was going on clutched their throats and fell over gasping for breath.

Looked like this was a good monster to keep at a distance, and that meant one thing.

**"Cups Suit!"** As soon as her yellow armor had formed Tarock waved her hand in front of her belt and summoned her Sea Hand. Then with her other hand she tapped the Royal Core.

**"Coronation! Page of Cups!"** Power flowed from the crystal and formed into a likeness of a young boy in a long yellow coat. In his hands was a chalice that gave off soft white fumes, and as it touched the blackness Nuckelavee was spewing, started to push it backward. Seeing that, Nuckelavee reared up and cried out angrily before charging Tarock.

**"Calamity! Jaws of Frost!"** Ice sprayed from Tarock's fingers, forming a wall between her and Nuckelavee. Around it the fumes from the Page's cup continued to billow out and push back Nuckelavee's poisonous breath. The monster reared back to keep from colliding with the frigid wall and battered his hooves against it. Large chunks fell off from the first blow and it was obvious it wouldn't hold for long. Needing to keep Page safe to keep the poison smoke form doing any more damage, Tarock jumped high into the air and prepared her next attack.

**"Woe! Aqua Burst!"** called out the Fate Driver just as a compressed water ball shot from Tarock's fingertips. Nuckelavee recoiled and Tarock's attack blew a hole in the ground. When Tarock landed Nuckelavee wheeled around and galloped toward her. But as he did the itching on Tarock's arm got even worse, and she started to get angry. The White Lady thought they were so much alike, did she? Myabe it was time to really show her who she was messing with.

At a thought the Rend Brace jumped onto Tarock's wrist. **"Calmaity! Tethys Cutter!"** A blade of watery power formed at the top of the bracelet and she slashed at Nuckelavee with all her might. The monster jumped over it and Tarock's slash ripped through some tents and sent people nearby scurrying for safety. Nuckelavee landed a few feet away and swiped at Tarock with his front hooves, catching her on the side of the head. Tarock stumbled away but recovered a second later and slashed with the Tethys Cutter again, catching Nuckelavee in the raw flesh of its side. A gout of blue ichor fountained up from the wound and before Nuckelavee could get away she shot a spray of ice from her fingers and froze his rear legs to the ground.

Then Tarock jumped onto Nuckelavee's back between his head and the rider and punched the rider in the face as hard as she could. "Think I'm like you, huh?" she snapped and punched again. His head jerked back and his hair splayed out behind him. The itch on Tarock's arm was burning now, and all she could feel was an urge to shut that miserable bitch up. Her fist flashed out but then Nuckelavee spewed a cloud of black smoke right into her face.

She screamed and tumbled off. The black fog burned at her chest armor and mask.. Tarock concentrated more on Page, ordering him to come closer, and held her face near the soothing mist pouring from the cup in his hands. Meanwhile Nuckelavee shook his skinless body and broke free of the ice Tarock had formed around his legs. He turned and galloped straight through a row of tents collapsing them, trampling anyone trying to hide inside or snatching them with his long arms and hurling them away.

After a few seconds Tarock recovered enough to look around for where her enemy had gone. His breath had actually melted tiny holes all over the lenses to her mask, and while the burning from the attack had stopped the rage she felt to put down that monster had only gotten stronger. She chased after Nuckelavee and jumped high, slicing with the Tethys cutter into his back. Blue ichor spurted from the wound again, but Nuckelavee didn't stop his wild charge. Tarock jumped again and sprayed ice from her fingers and formed a wall in front of the monster.

"Suck on this!" Tarock yelled and fired off an Aqua Burst sphere at Nuckelavee's back. It slammed into him and lifted him off the ground and he fell a few feet away, landing with a disgusting splat as his body hit the ground.

**"Dire Fate! Frost Gatling!"** the Fate Driver called out, Tarock bracing herself for the force of her attack. But Nuckelavee managed to scramble to its hooves, reared back and then stamped down on the ground with enough force to shake it. Again he rose, and again he pounded the ground, dark streams of power traveling through his exposed veins and into the earth. Cracks spread out from where his hoof stamped a third time and from them poured the same evil black fog as his breath.

Tarock gasped and fired off a barrage of icicles but they melted as soon as they touched the black cloud. It was pouring out thicker and faster than when he breathed it himself and people were already keeling over unable to breathe. There was no way Page's power could resist that.

Nuckelavee pounded the ground and the cracks spread even farther. Tarock crouched and somersaulted backward through the air without even thinking of what she was doing. She stopped against the trunk of a tree, her hands and feet sticking to the trunk.

She pressed her one hand against the Royal Core while she aimed the Sea Hand at Nuckelavee. **"Coronation! Ace of Cups!"** said the Fate Driver with more force than Tarock thought she'd ever heard. Page turned into a cluster of small wisps of light that flew to surround Tarock's Sea Hand and formed into a rectangular cannon barrel, the image of a bearded man with a trident engraved on the side in gold.

**"Ace High! Crash Tide!"** Tarock only had a second to prepare herself before a huge burst of power arcing out like a tidal wave ripped from her weapon, pushing the tree she was clinging to back at an angle. It washed over Nuckelavee and the dark clouds he'd created, tearing the monster apart and flattening a column of tents before slamming into the wall of the city and knocking some sizable rocks free from it.

And Tarock laughed. That stupid bitch thought these pathetic monsters of hers were a threat? Let her send them all. This was what would happen.

Again without even thinking Tarock pushed off the tree, flipped through the air and landed on her feet. She found Lost standing and staring at her nearby. "You all right?" Tarock asked.

Lost nodded numbly. "How did you stick to the tree like that?" she asked. "That armor looks so heavy…"

"I don't know," Liss admitted, but so what? She could stick to walls too? Great, when were extra powers a bad thing?

But she was coming down from a combat high she didn't remember ever feeling in any of her other battles, and saw how many people were staring at her, not many of them like they were about to ask for an autograph. Near the wall she could see a few prone forms who looked like they'd been blown around by the force of the attack that killed Nuckelavee. Others rushed over and tended to them, but cast accusing glances at Tarock as they did.

"We better go," she told Lost then held out a Wild Card that morphed into a moth and flew into the sky. "Find Ben, he's going to need to catch up to us," she said before taking Lost by the hand and heading away from Avalon.

* * *

><p>For the sixth time Paige went to get water for a pot of coffee. Angelo tried to rub some clarity back into his eyes as he watched go. It was well into a Saturday morning and the second portion of kung-fu class would be starting soon, but he'd agreed to stay up and hope for some word from Liss would come in and calm her older sister's mind.<p>

He'd accepted that Liss's role as a hero would take her away unexpectedly sometimes (although that didn't mean he planned to pay her for classes she missed). Paige Decker, however, had come by his home the night before asking if he knew anything about a massive "light show" coming from the old amusement park on the edge of town. She was sure her sister was involved somehow, which was probably true, but was also convinced something terrible had happened to Liss and it seemed only word from Liss herself would change her mind.

Paige's hand was quivering as she poured water into the top of the coffeemaker and reset the pot. Angelo wondered how much of that was the caffeine shakes and how much was simple worry.

He flipped on the TV just to have some noise in the room, and surfed channels until he found the morning news. The ticker on the bottom had a message just starting to disappear reading "—PLOSION AT ABANDONED AMUSEMENT PARK," while above it a man with a slightly doughy face, wearing glasses and a blue business suit that probably cost more than the building Angelo lived in was standing in what looked like a war zone. On one cheek was taped a gauze pad with the edges of a very large, very dark bruise peeking out around it. There was a massive hole in the ground behind him and people were even picking up hunks of concrete and jagged metal as they recorded.

Underneath the man's face was a name bar: "Carl Stanford, Silver Light Industrial." Stanford turned to a microphone and said, "I'm personally shocked to find out what was going on underneath this park, but I'm glad that Tarock and her partner…I'm sorry, what was his name, Vaga? That they were around and found out what was going on here in time to stop it before anyone was hurt.

"However, I want to assure everyone that this event has only reaffirmed my belief in the value of this community. There may be dangers here, but if it can also produce heroes like that, then it more than deserves our support. The project to get this park running again is still on," he finished, flashing a blindingly white smile.

"Hear that? Liss is movin' up in the world," Angelo said, trying to give Paige a reassuring smile.

"If it went so well, why hasn't there been any sign of her since then?" was Paige's immediate reply.

Then there was an explosion that shook plaster dust from the ceiling.

Paige was up and running for the front door before Angelo could stop her. She pushed on it even though all that could be seen through the glass was a huge cloud of dust. As some of it billowed in she thought better of it and let the door swing closed again. A hulking shape went flying through the air by the building and then something flew after it before the dust cleared.

Again Paige shoved the door open and peered into the street, where a gang of fighters in shiny black armor were hacking at a gray-skinned, one-eyed monster who wielded a metal ball on a chain at them. One of the black-armored figures was knocked into the air by a throw of the Cyclops's weapon, but even as they faded into thin air another jumped at the monster's back and dug their dagger into his flesh.

The monster roared out in pain and struggled against the blade but this gave the other armored attackers the chance to bring their own weapons to bear, cleaving the Cyclops into four pieces that immediately started dissolving into blue smoke. As soon as it had faded away and left nothing but a blue stain on the asphalt, the figures in black armor flickered away until only one was left. Slowly Paige approached them when suddenly Angelo jumped inbetween them, a sawed off shotgun in his hands.

"What the hell do you think _you're_ doing back here?" he demanded, fixing his gaze on the armored figure.

The armor flickered away, leaving a weary-looking woman. "You," she said quietly, pointing at Angelo. "You're Tarock's ally."

"And _you_ are the farthest thing from that last time I checked," he retorted. He repeated, "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"I'd appreciate it if you'd lower that weapon around my wife," said a voice above, and a figure in shining white armor with bright blue lenses in his mask landed beside the woman. The armor faded and left a man with a weary smile on his face where he'd stood. "But I won't make threats to assure it."

Paige looked back and forth between Angelo and the strange people who wore armor like her sister's and fought monsters just like she did. Yet, they'd obviously met Angelo before, and he was plenty suspicious of them from it. What was going on?

She stepped out from behind Angelo and asked the two, "You two know my crazy little sister?"

"Know her?" Angelo spat. "They tried to kill her!"

"Tarock?" the man asked, then sighed. "Not personally. She…showed mercy on Nema and myself after a battle, though, and we've decided to try and repay her."

" 'Showed you mercy'? What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" Paige demanded.

The woman, Nema, answered her. "What Lurian meant was we were given our powers to try to kill Tarock, because there are those where we come from who see her as a threat. The last time we fought, Tarock had the chance to kill us but she left without doing so."

"But when was that?" Paige interrupted. "Where's my sister?"

Nema sighed and looked at the ground. "That, we don't know. She left in such a hurry, though…she probably had a purpose in mind. An urgent one, I would think."

A helpless moan escaped her lips and Paige held her face in her hands. Lurian reached out to pat her shoulder and stopped when Angelo cocked his gun menacingly, then gently touched Paige on the shoulder all the same. "I wouldn't worry so much, ma'am," he said softly. "Your sister's a fine warrior. Whoever taught her should be proud."

"It was him," Paige answered, indicating Angelo with one hand. Lurian looked up at Angelo, even with the gun still clutched in his hands, and smiled.

"Well, sir, please allow me to extend my compliments to your skills," Lurian said. After another second Angelo lowered his gun.

"That's…big of you," he said. "Considering how we met."

"As I said," Nema interjected, "we're here to lend our help while Tarock's away. Judging by that character we just caught, you look like you could use it."

Paige took a breath, sounding for just a second like she was holding something in. "Well, until my sister has the decency to come back and let us know she's okay, having some of her friends around to keep an eye on things sounds like a good idea."

"Friends," Nema said, rolling the word around in her mouth. A small smile formed on her lips as Angelo heard her say it and gave her a quizzical look. "That has a nice sound to it…"

* * *

><p>"All right ladies, dinner is served!" Ben called out to them even though they were only a few feet away. He held a juicy shish kebob in each hand and offered them to Liss and Lost as they came over. Liss looked down at the one held out to her hesitantly for a second while Lost grabbed hers and bit deeply into a hunk of meat. She took another eager bite and moaned as her teeth hit the stick.<p>

Liss took hers and had a bite too. She was halfway done chewing it when she noticed the look in Ben's eye as he watched her, curious and yet nervous about what she'd have to say about it. She swallowed, took a bite out of a vegetable she couldn't identify but that had a sharp garlic-like taste and let it go down her throat too before she said anything. "This is pretty good, Ben," Liss told him. "I didn't have you figured for the cooking type."

A cocky smirk covered his face at that. "Guess we're both full of surprises, huh? My dad only cares about being able to grill steak. I learned how to make this other stuff just so we'd have something else when we had a barbecue."

"That's impressive!" Lost gushed. Ben smiled, and Lost stopped herself. "Is it?" she asked Liss.

"There aren't a lot of guys who are into cooking back where we're from," Liss answered. "They think it's too much work, I guess."

"Let's not forget who here was planning on living off campfire hotdogs and spam," Ben smirked.

"I would've done fine!" Liss snapped.

"Sure you would've," Ben said and turned over a slice of meat on the small grill he'd picked up while he was shopping. "But that doesn't mean you have to, does it? I mean, you're proving how strong you are with all the monsters you beat…does that mean you have to eat nothing but crappy food the whole time you're out camping too?"

"It doesn't matter as long as I'm strong enough to kick some ass," Liss replied in a neutral tone, but then took another big bite.

Ben turned the meat over again. "You didn't answer my question," he reminded her. "Just because you could've been okay eating that stuff doesn't mean you have to punish yourself with it. That's not really part of proving how tough you are like the rest of this, is it?"

Lost set down her skewer and said, without thinking to wipe the sauce off her lips, "Ben's right, isn't he? Even if you have to fight the monsters, that's no reason you shouldn't be allowed refresh yourself after you do, is there?"

At both of them ganging up on her with their questions Liss scowled, but swallowed her food and wiped her mouth. "Maybe not," she finally said.

And Ben laughed. Long, loud. After a moment Lost joined in too, but cast a sidelong glance at Liss like she wasn't sure she should be. But Liss smiled just a little, and seeing that Ben suddenly said, "You know, since you found out something about me tonight, maybe I should get to find out something about you, Liss."

"Like what?" she asked in reply.

"Well," Ben said, paused for a minute in thought, then answered, "how about what do you want to do after this is all over?"

"Are you asking me out?" Liss replied, incredulously.

Ben laughed again. "No!" he said, but his laugh died away as he looked her in the eye. "No. I meant…I meant, you're doing this to show how strong you are, right? What about after we get to Shardak and he tells us how to make it so Lost doesn't make anymore monsters? Are you gonna start your own country or go back home and be a sword-swinging vigilante or what?"

Liss didn't answer the question for a long time, looking off into the distance while she pondered an answer to that question. She looked back at Ben and answered, "Well, first I'm gonna make sure Sensei doesn't have anything else to show me. Then maybe I'll find someplace to start my own school. And I can teach people how to fight. After I spend a couple weeks making them do chores so I know they're committed."

That answer made Ben's jaw go slack for a second, but then he grinned. "Wow. That…I really wasn't expecting an answer like that. You want to run a kung fu school? That's really awesome, actually."

"It is!" Lost agreed. "You'd teach others how to fight properly so they can protect their people? That's…is 'commendable' the right word? I think it is."

"It's just an idea," Liss said dismissively.

Ben perked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? If I wanted to, would you teach me?"

"Pffft! I'm not taking just anybody who walks past me. I want people who are serious," Liss answered him.

"Oh yeah? If that's just an idea, sounds like you got it all figured out," Ben said with a teasing smirk on his face. He picked up a fork and flipped the side of meat on the grill over one last time. "Okay ladies, main course is served!"

For the rest of the night, Liss noticed he and Lost seemed a little different around her. A little more relaxed, their eyes held a slight glimmer of…could it have been respect?

* * *

><p>It was late the next day when the sound of a powerful engine roaring up disturbed Master Shardak from the unsettling spectacle he'd seen in the image played in the air before him. A bird's shriek with a metallic twang to it followed, and Shardak hurriedly hid the card.<p>

Not to his surprise Liss Decker and Ben Corland walked through the hidden entrance to his cave, but behind them was an emaciated girl in a ragged black cloak. Shardak was unable to hold in a gasp of shock at a power he could feel radiating from her being. A tremor passed from the bottom to top of his insubstantial being, and he gasped out and needed a few seconds to reform himself before he could face them.

"Hey…hey!" Liss said. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be all right," the old wizard's ghostly visage answered. "What…_who_ is this?"

Lost flinched at the question. "I am…Lost. That is all I know."

"She's the source of the monsters, apparently," Liss explained. "Sometimes she pukes up this black stuff that turns into the new Mythos. I sorta hoped maybe you could check her out, and try to find out how to stop that from happening anymore."

Shardak stared past them at Lost, opening his mouth a few times to speak, but not managing to find any words. He could see the girl, almost the same age as his reluctant choice of envoys, but there was a palpable feeling coming off of her. Of a churning power just waiting to be unleashed.

"Very well," Shardak said. After bracing himself as well as he could, Shardak, his transparent hands trembling, raised them and a screen of energy flowed out from his fingers and down the tunnel to the mouth of the cave. Liss and Ben felt only a tingle from where they kept their cards, but a second later the cave erupted in a burning white light flashing out from Lost's body.

She screamed and fell to her knees, and as she did a sensation of cold so sharp it seemed to rip right to the soul engulfed Liss's body. Liss stumbled and met Lost's eyes for just a second and then she wasn't looking at Lost anymore; she could only see a bubbling, shifting mass of blackness that stretched out of sight. But somewhere near the middle of that blackness there was a single glimmering ribbon of white light reaching upwards into the skies.

There was no sign of what the ribbon connected to, but Liss could feel a powerful emanation from the other side. Commanding her to rise up and fight, to destroy all but her own kind or those it deemed useful. There was no vocal command. It was like a wordless impulse from the brain to move or look at something. From a brain a thousand times louder and stronger than Liss's own, reaching out for her…

Icy fingers started to prod and jab at Liss's mind, working their way inside to grab a stranglehold she knew she could never break. She jerked and contorted, trying to flee from the ribbon of light, trying to escape before it engulfed her completely.

The next thing Liss knew, she was looking up at the ceiling of Shardak's cave. It took a second before the tears pooling in her eyes flowed away and the ringing in her ears cleared. "What just happened?" Liss gasped out.

"Beats the hell out of me!" Ben said, looking at her with apprehension. He was standing on the far side of the cave, and only approached her slowly when it seemed he was assured whatever had just happened had passed. Quietly he explained, "Shardak did his thing with the light, Lost started glowing for a second then you looked her in the eyes and started screaming bloody murder about making somebody let you go, then you were twisting around until you hit your head on the wall and fell down. Do you remember anything, Liss?"

"I don't know," Liss whispered, the sensations already fading from her memory, like the times she woke up in the middle of a dream and the last thing she saw was already dissolving too quickly for her to recall anything at all about it. "I just looked Lost in the eye and for a second I thought someone else was there, I think."

"You don't have to pretend you don't remember so you look tough, Liss," Ben said gently. "We're here to help each other out."

"I don't remember," Liss said, harder, "But I can guess who it was."

Lost choked and knelt down to cradle Liss supportively in her arms. "You heard the White Lady. That's what you call her, isn't it? I'm sorry, I had no idea she could do that to anyone else." Liss, who was mostly recovered from her shock by then, gave Lost a confused look. "I'm sorry, isn't this the right thing to do?" Lost asked.

Shardak cleared his ethereal throat to get their attention. "I saw what was behind this girl's façade as well, and I must say…I've no conception of the nature of the power she carries."

"WHAT?" Liss demanded, rage boiling up in her to hear that after what she'd just been through, Shardak would have no answers for them.

"It's all right!" Lost said suddenly, more forcefully than she'd probably meant to because when Liss looked up at her she averted her eyes. "It's all right," she repeated. "There probably isn't anyone else out there who vomits up monsters."

"She is neither human, nor Mythos, nor Arcanum," Shardak went on. "She is the source of the Mythos, that much is clear, and because of that she is connected to this White Lady who's able to control what form the Mythos take and then control the Mythos themselves once they've taken form. But as to how this connection be broken, I do not know."

"Great," Liss groaned.

Shardak held up a spectral finger sternly. "_However_," he added, "I am not the only Arcana with unique knowledge. There's another, who knows even deeper secrets. He is called the Inverted Sage.

"I can help you find him, but I warn you now, do not be short with him. Who you are or what powers you have matter nothing to him," Shradak said gravely. "If there is anyone who can provide answers to this, it will be him. But if you fail to show respect, you will not receive them."

"Seriously?" Ben asked. "Look, maybe we're not model citizens back home, but we're not going to walk into this guy's house and wreck all his shit if we want his help."

Shardak gave Ben a sharp look but it passed too quickly for the others to notice. He produced a green Moth Wild Card from thin air and held it out to Liss. "Activate this card and it will lead you to the Inverted Sage."

"Thanks, Shardak," Liss said, her voice betraying how shaken she still was by what she'd seen in Lost's eyes. The three of them started to walk away when Shardak called out.

"Just a moment, young man," the old wizard said. Ben looked over his shoulder at Shardak's somber face, then back at Liss, who just shrugged and kept going, eager to get to the next step on their journey. Ben went back to Shardak, who waited until the others were out of sight before he produced another Wild Card.

Ben regarded the wizard curiously, but also suspiciously. "What's that?" he asked. Shardak replied by dropping the card into the palm of his hand and letting the video it had recorded project in front of Ben: Tarock's fight with the Nuckelavee the day before, when she jumped and clung to the trunk of the tree as if her hands and feet could stick to the rough surface. Then she powered herself up and fired a giant tidal wave from her hand that obliterated the monster but sent people flying from the force of the attack.

"You've known her for some time, yes?" Shardak asked, his expression grave. "Is this something she would normally do?"

"Pffft…What? Kill monsters?" Ben replied as if it was the dumbest question he'd ever heard.

"No!" Shardak snapped, giving Ben a sharp look. "Unleashing a powerful attack when there were people in the area who could've been caught in it."

"Maybe she didn't have a choice," Ben said defensively. "You gotta move fast, think fast to be able to win with these things."

Again Shardak gave him a point glance. "I learned a few things about battling monsters myself, and this is not reassuring. I knew Liss was hardly an optimal choice-"

"Hey…" Ben interrupted warningly.

"—but this could destroy everything," Shardak went on, paying no attention to Ben's warning. He turned to face Ben again. "I'm very worried, young man. Tarock never had the power to stick to objects like that, and the fact that when I tried to scan the girl, Liss also reacted and so strongly at that…" He sighed, and conjured a small case out of nowhere. "Please, go with Liss, watch her, keep her from harming anyone else even if she does not mean to. And above all ask the Inverted Sage what the meaning of her behavior might be…"

"You're not kidding, are you?" Ben asked.

"No," Shardak said and sighed, sounding extremely hopeless. "Once I could command the elements and see centuries into the future. Beasts would obey my every instruction, and the greatest of kings called me friend and advisor. Now, my influence no longer reaches beyond this cave. I hoped I could provide a new champion, but I may have created a force for destruction...Perhaps it can yet be saved, though. Use these to monitor her, find out the truth. They can even enhance the powers of your Warder."

He passed the case to Ben, who opened it. Inside were stacks of new Wild Cards; one with the image of a turtle, and one with a seahorse? Another one had a kind of bug with a long pitchfork-like horn on its head.

Ben closed the case and gave Shardak an uncertain look. "You really think something's wrong with Liss? Can't we just take her belt away until we're sure?"

Shardak sighed and shook his spectral head. "The Fate Driver bonds with its user until their final day, precisely to keep it from being stolen. We were thinking we'd have control over the choice of candidates, of course…And anyway, if she's been compromised she's hardly going to give up the source of her powers. Please, Ben. We wanted to give the Sphere a hero, but I fear what we might have allowed to come into existence instead"

Slowly, Ben nodded. He put the case away and turned to walk out, but as he did he said over one shoulder, "Liss isn't a monster. You know that, right?" Then he walked out without stopping.

After he was gone, Shardak murmured, "The question is, do you know it?"

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

(A monster forms from a pool of black slime and Ben changes to fight)

Ben: I'll fight. I have to…

(Tarock in Swords Form cuts down a group of faceless Changeling Mythos)

Lost: My friends have so much power, but can they really defeat all of the monsters…?

(Tarock faces down a monster in a cave with a group of human captives, locking eyes with it and it looking strangely intently)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	19. Chapter 19: By the Horns

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Nineteen: By the Horns

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Many battles followed, testing Liss's fortitude but also giving her the chance to gain powerful allies such as some of the Arcana, immortal creatures who inspired the Tarot deck, and Ben Corland, her ex-boyfriend who can change into Vaga, a powerful warrior form of his own. However, some Arcana automatically consider Liss a menace because the first Tarock was responsible for the death of one of their number.

After her last few battles Liss was able to recover a girl who only refers to herself as Lost, and is the source of the Mythos monsters. Directed to the Inverted Sage, a reclusive Arcanum who might be the only one able to tell Liss how to cure Lost of her affliction, they journey deep into the wilds of the Sphere, hoping to find a solution.

Meanwhile, Ben accompanies Liss, having been warned that she may be turning into something dark and dangerous…

* * *

><p>"HEARTSEEKER!"<p>

Vaga's spear glowed with blinding green power as he stabbed it into the body of wolf-like monster that he knew beyond a doubt had been chosen to remind him of his unsettling fight with Saal. He refused to think on it. Already it was dissolving into blue smoke, rising into the air to join with the thick cloud that was all that was left of the other horror.

A few seconds later Tarock approached, her red Swords armor adorned with a few tears from her own fight. She kneeled by the girl in the tattered black robe whose body had finally stopped quivering from vomiting up the black ooze that had created their attackers. "Are you okay, Lost?" Tarock asked.

"I'll be all right in a second, I think," Lost said with a hacking cough but smiled at her two armored saviors. Her face showed much more color than when she'd first been rescued from a dungeon back on their own world, Earth.

"Guess that proves we need someone to stay up and keep watch," Vaga said, reverting to ordinary Ben.

The red Card of Swords jumped into Tarock's hand from her Driver and she changed back into Liss. "I'll take care of that," she said.

"You don't have to do that all the time, Liss," Ben said, trying not to sound like he had any reason to try to stop her. He had a feeling trying that might only earn him a punch in the face if he pushed it. "You're tough. You've proved it plenty of times. Starving yourself for sleep doesn't prove that too."

She gave him a slightly annoyed look and found a rock to sit on that gave a good view of the open area around their campsite. "I'm fine," she insisted. "I'm getting used to this, and part of that's getting by fine with less sleep. You don't have to baby me."

"I'm just trying to help," Ben said.

"I know," Liss said more gently. "But keeping Lost safe until we find this sage guy's the important thing. And I've been training for it harder, and I can get by on less sleep."

He didn't reply, trying not to tip her off to how close he was trying to watch her. He wouldn't have minded watching her normally, but that afternoon he'd talk to Master Shardak who'd warned him of strange changes happening to Liss. How she could stick to solid surfaces. How she'd used an extremely powerful attack in an area where people had gotten hurt from being too close when she'd unleashed that kind of power. How he was already sure she'd been able to stay up all night and showed no signs of weakness the next day.

But was there another reason than all the hard training she and her kung-fu teacher had been doing? He'd been warned that Liss might be changing into some kind of monster, and being able to go without sleep seemed like the kind of thing a monster would be able to do. Inwardly, Ben sighed. This had seemed so simple when he'd found the Arcana looking for a new champion. Finally have a reason to let Liss keep him around. Instead, they were saying he might have to take her out too…

If she was going to do something suspicious, though, it wasn't going to be when Ben was staring right at her. "Well, before you get settled in I'll do one of those, watcha call 'em, perimeter sweeps." He twisted the top of his pocket flashlight to switch it on and set off into the trees. Waiting until the glimmer of their campfire was obscured by the trees, Ben pulled out a pair of Wild Cards in each hand. A push of energy and a glittering moth took flight. A snake uncoiled and dropped from his hand while the beetle flew into the darkness, and the small turtle pulled itself into its shell and rolled out of sight to keep watch over Liss.

As they went off to spy, Ben gave a sigh louder than he meant to. He shone the flashlight down on the Vay Brace, the green jewel in it glowing with a soft light of its own before the flashlight even reached it. He'd accepted it, let them graft it to his arm so he'd be strong enough to keep up with Liss when she went around beating up on monsters. Now he was spying on her because Shardak was afraid something was wrong with her, something that'd make her uncaring about attacking an enemy with helpless people nearby.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Ben wandered a little deeper into the woods so his search would be believably long. He was thinking so intently about how out of control, he didn't hear the crackle of something creeping through dry grass until it was right behind him. The change card was in his hand in an instant, but then the air around him seemed to stretch for a second, and then Ben wasn't standing in a darkened forest.

A roaring wind whipped by and Ben had to dig his feet into the ground and lean against it or he would've been blown right off the edge of a stony plateau. It was hard to tell in the descending night, but he was sure the drop must've been at least a hundred feet.

The wind let up after just a few seconds, but even before it had Ben saw he wasn't alone. There were three figures there staring at him, one a tall woman with long wavy hair that disappeared against the silhouette of the flowing dress she wore, and the second a huge cat-like creature that stared holes in him with two rows of yellow eyes. The last one Ben couldn't even describe, because he swore that with every second it changed into a completely new shape. A cube, a pyramid, a net rustling in the wind, a potato-shaped clump of tiny rectangular mirrors, then a flat twirling star-shape. He noticed the different shapes, but they flowed into each other so smoothly he somehow couldn't notice the changes taking place.

"What do you want?" Ben demanded.

"Calm yourself, Ben," the woman said, herself perfectly calm. "You are among friends, and you'll be wanting as many of those as you can find." Ben expected the cat-creature to growl at him for emphasis, but instead it just stared at him, awaiting his reaction.

He left the card in his pocket and let his arm hang by his side. "Who are you guys?" he asked, still guardedly.

"I am Leone," the woman said.

"And I am called Master Segic," said a weird reverberating boice in Ben's head. And just as he knew the shape was changing without being able to see the changes, he knew it was the owner of the voice. "Jack asked us to see if we could aid."

"You want to help us fight?" Ben asked, not sure whether to be glad at the offer or annoyed he'd have to fight even harder to get Liss to notice what he could do.

But the woman smiled and shook her head. "I cast off violence except in the greatest need." She patted the cat-creature on the head.

"Nor do I battle. I have become the vessel of other powers," said Master Segic. "But I am always nearby, always working. Rarely noticed, rarely acknowledged."

Ben sighed in irritation. "If all you guys are gonna do is talk to me in stupid riddles, just send me back now, okay?"

"Before we do," Leone replied, "Think hard on something. What are you fighting for?"

"To help Liss," Ben answered immediately.

Leone gave him a neutral look, while Segic drifted around Ben, a feeling of curiosity touching at the edge of Ben's mind. "Ah, but is that help she wants?" Master Segic's voice reverberated in Ben's mind again. "Help she needs? Or is it a need on the part of another? Truly young man, so much is at stake in what promises to reshape your world as much as ours. Do you truly wish make your stake so small?"

"You must understand, Ben," Leone said gently. "We've done our best to guide this world for ages. So long some of us have forgotten our purposes, to the danger of those we protect. But our time may soon be up, and those who choose to wield power in the world to come would be well advised to know why, and make sure never to forget…"

"I just want to help Liss," Ben insisted. "Isn't that enough?"

A second passed, and Master Segic continued as if they hadn't heard Ben at all. "She is an agent of change, for herself as well as many others whether she either likes or realizes it. As are you, Ben Corland, by demanding the powers you wield. Such is the nature of power."

He was about to retort with something about what the hell they knew about his situation, but then for just a second he saw the lifeless body of Saal lying in front of him. He had been a fearsome wolf monster, and Ben had saved the lives of a number of veteran soldiers by killing him. But they'd known Saal before he'd become a monster, and however necessary it had been at the time, Ben had still taken the life of a human being.

He'd done it because he wanted to help Liss. To fight amazing battles of his own so she'd notice what he could do, and…

…and that was a childish, selfish, short-sighted reason to demand a part to play in this as he had.

And it was one he wasn't going to let go. It was a miracle he'd gotten Jack to let him be Vaga, and not an opportunity he had any intention of giving up; Liss was only just starting to acknowledge what he could do in a fight. These two didn't like it, or thought he was some kind of idiot for not seeing the universe as clearly as they did, that was their tough shit.

Besides, it was regular people being getting caught in the middle of all this, not people—or whatever—with magic powers to protect themselves. He and Liss were fighting monsters and cutting the problem off at the source. What were these guys doing but talking to him in stupid riddles?

"If this is as helpful as you guys are gonna be, just send me back, okay?" Ben sighed. "I have actual things to do."

"Yes, you do," Leone said, her smile shining against the night. "Great, great things. Simply walk that way and you'll find your way back to your friends." She pointed with one finger and Ben turned and walked away in the direction she indicated. He could feel the air stretching around him, then he was gone. But just before he disappeared, he failed to notice a small piece of Master Segic break off and slip inside his jacket.

Leone waited a minute as if concerned Ben might hear what she said next. "I influenced him…but was it right?"

Master Segic turned into a long ribbon of a silvery liquid that seemed to form itself into a question mark for a second before becoming a rippling orb. "What is for the best and what is right are not always one and the same," he replied. "It is our duty to guide, and you have planted a seed of something greater in his mind. Now we must leave it to see if it can blossom on its own."

* * *

><p>The next day was suspiciously quiet as they followed the special moth that was leading them to the Arcanum who could—hopefully—answer the question of how to stop Lost from creating anymore monsters. After that, it would just be a matter of finding the White Lady and hunting down the Mythos still out there.<p>

The day started out gray and by the time Lost had struggled off Shift Runner for them to break for lunch, fog was closing in around them for all sides. Ben started unloading his grill but Liss waved her hand for him to stop.

"We're only stopping for a minute," she said. "No time to waste."

"You sure?" Ben asked. "It's getting pretty chilly. Something warm would help take the edge off."

"This isn't a camping trip," Liss reminded him, and dug into Shift Runner's saddlebag for a cold biscuit she sank her teeth into and tossed another to Lost.

Resignedly Ben put it away and dug some cold rations out of his own pack. He watched Liss take a seat and listlessly dig into her meal. Lost sat down next to Liss, pulling her robe closer around herself with a shiver. Even though he'd dismissed the Arcana and their warnings last night, he suddenly couldn't help thinking of their words now. How much was at stake, and what their reasons were for joining such a fight.

"So…what is it, then, Liss?" Ben asked.

She gave him a bemused look. "What's what?"

"You said this isn't a camping trip. So what is it? Us going around saving people and killing monsters and everything. You must think something of how Shardak and Jack want us to be acting like those Japanese superheroes and inspiring people to fight and all that stuff."

Lost leaned closer and looked Liss in the face. "Is that true? Did they ask you to do that?"

"Yeah, they did," Liss answered. She shrugged. "I don't know. I told you why I was doing this. To prove I'm strong enough to handle something this big."

"Don't all people want to be heroes?" Lost asked, tilting her head. "Some of the people who helped me talked about that…about how they thought they'd be heroes by joining the army after the monsters started attacking." She looked at her feet and sighed.

Liss finished off the biscuit and went for another. "Knock it off," she said. "You don't want to puke up monsters any more than anybody else wants you to. That's why we're gonna go figure out how to stop it."

"Y'know, Liss," Ben said, "If you really wanted to prove how tough you are from this, you probably wouldn't be in such a hurry to be done, you know? You'd want to see how big the monsters can get and what it takes to beat 'em down."

"Maybe if they weren't coming from her," Liss said, pointing at Lost. "I'm sick of people saying I'm nothing, but it's gotta be even worse having people thinking you're some kind of resource or some shit for them to use. I'm not letting people get away with doing that kind of shit to someone, not after what it was like for me."

"Whoa!" Ben said with a laugh. "Sounds like we got us a real Robin Hood-type here after all."

"Is that good?" Lost asked, innocently.

"Most people think so," Ben said, and Liss glared at him. "And what's so wrong about people thinking of you like that?"

Liss sighed. "I don't want everybody staring at me and…and crowding up my life with all that garbage."

"Maybe not," Lost suggested, "but maybe it's what they need."

Liss swallowed the food in her mouth and put the half-eaten food back into Shift Runner's saddlebag. "Let's get going," she said. "The sooner this is over the better."

"That doesn't make any sense with what you said before," Ben pointed out.

"Let's go!" Liss repeated. She swung herself into Shift Runner's saddle and turned to help Lost up behind her. Ben rode behind them, thinking of Liss's outburst.

She would use her powers to keep people from being exploited, but didn't want people relying on her for that kind of thing? Except that really wasn't how it worked. If you fought hard for something you became a symbol. A symbol of what, though, that was determined by any number of things.

He wondered about the people who saw Liss fight as Tarock and thought things were getting better, what they'd think knew her reason for why she was doing it and what kind of person she was when the armor went away. After what he'd just heard, Ben wondered if even he knew.

Or if Liss herself knew.

* * *

><p>As they traveled on, the fog started rolling in even thicker. Within an hour they were completely engulfed in a roiling white cloud, with other objects just dark outlines against the banks of fog. Liss ordered them to slow down to avoid stumbling into some kind of trap.<p>

The faint green glimmer of the moth guiding them stayed in sight even as their surroundings disappeared, but stayed directly ahead and in trying to keep from losing it against the wall of white Shift Runner bumped into a few large rocks and mounds of earth. Suddenly Shift Runner bumped into something that sounded like a stack of bricks toppling over, followed by the creaking and snapping of wood as something collapsed a few feet away from the metal horse.

"What was that?" Lost whispered, clinging to Liss.

"A house caving in," Liss said. "This used to be a town."

"You think there's still anyone here?" asked Lost.

"Probably not if that's all it took to knock down one of their houses," Ben said.

They kept going, slower now to avoid another accident. After another few minutes of slow trudging Liss gasped and clutched her arm. Lost squealed in surprise suddenly, clutching her head with one hand and holding onto Liss for support with the other.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked in alarm.

"Something's near," Lost answered him, her voice quavering. "Something very powerful. And it knows we're here."

"Let's go!" Liss cried, and Shift Runner whinnied and galloped forward after the light of the Wild Card guiding them. Shift Runner crashed into a hunk of standing masonry and pelted Liss's leg with hunks of brick but she gritted her teeth and held on. Little more than a second later she leaned back in surprise as something suddenly appeared out of the fog, shaped like a person waving their arms in distress.

Shift Runner reared up, and she had to grab Lost by the waist to keep her from falling off. "Help!" a girl screamed in front of the and Liss leaned over, spotting a scrawny teenage girl, her blonde hair caked with dirt and her clothes in tatters. She looked like she'd been driven from society only a little behind Lost herself. "I don't know who you are," she wailed, "but please help us! The Mythos caught us, and the others are still back there! I think they're going to try to turn us into them!"

Liss looked back at the others, then slowly swung herself out of Shift Runner's saddle. "You guys wait for me here," she said.

"Shouldn't we go with you?" Ben asked. "Strength in numbers."

"We need to get her where she's going," Liss replied, indicating Lost. "That's the most important thing. Besides, I'm the strongest and I've been doing this longer. If anybody runs any risks, it should be me."

"I know how strong you are," Ben said, a trace of envy creeping into his voice, but he stayed in the saddle.

"Then what are you worried about?" Liss replied. She turned to the girl and said, "Show me where your friends are…if we can find it in all this fog."

The two of them vanished into the fog, with Lost shivering and pulling her robe tighter around her. Ben looked around, even though he knew how pointless it would be with so much fog, just making sure he could keep the glimmer of their guide in sight.

"If I'm worried, maybe it's about something that won't scream in your face before it tries to kill you," Ben muttered. As soon as he was sure Liss wasn't looking, he took out a pair of Wild Cards—a moth and one of the new horned bug ones Shardak had given him—gave them that push of power that brought them to life, and the crystalline spies flew off after Liss.

* * *

><p>The girl led Liss around barely visible obstacles for a minute before she started to slow down, but the fog was so thick Liss couldn't tell and bumped into her, nearly bowling her over.<p>

"You sure this is the way?" Liss asked, knowing how easily this could be a trap. The cold on her arm reacted to Mythos with actual powers even if they could disguise themselves, but the Changelings, the lesser faceless kind, could turn themselves into anyone. And either they were so good at that or their powers were so weak, even Liss's monster-detecting sense didn't seem to work on them.

"A little," the girl admitted. "The fog wasn't this thick when I ran, and I was running as fast as I could…"

"Look…what do I call you?" Liss asked.

"Meo."

"Okay, Meo. What kind of monsters were they? How many of them did you see?"

The girl shivered and took a step closer to Liss. "There was a big gray bull monster…he was the one who destroyed our town, and some of those white ones who can change themselves into other people. And there was one who was all red, with long fangs and wings like a bat…he flew away after they captured those of us who were still alive," she explained, her voice unsteady.

Liss put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'll take care of that monster, don't worry."

But Meo scoffed, "Take care of the monster? I just want to save my friends, who do you think-"

She stopped talking as she heard a loud snorting nearby. Another came a second later, louder and closer. Something stone crumbled. Then a dark shark came looming out of the fog. Meo screamed, and Liss attached her Fate Driver.

"**Swords Suit!" **As soon as her red armor had solidifiedTarock's sword was instantly in her hand and with both hands she slashed at the attacker's midriff, the tip of the blade skittering off rock-like skin and doing no damage. Something came flying out of the fog and swatted her aside. She crashed through a wall and scrambled to her feet just in time to hear an angry bellow and something coming thundering toward her and crashed through what was left of the wall. Something long and sharp like a bull's horn slashed against her side and sent her flying again.

Tarock landed on her head and skidded a few meters but held onto the hilt of her sword with all her might. She was even slower getting up after the second hit, even though she could already hear the monster charging her again through the ringing in her ears. She raised Skycalibur and gathered her strength.

"**Woe! Bladestorm!"** She swung her sword in a wide arc and a flurry of glowing swords and daggers shot from the path it left at the monster. She saw them fly and explode against the dark shape, not slowing it down at all.

"**Calamity! Thunder Lash!"** Tarock's lightning whip cracked and landed right between her attacker's horns. There was a bovine howl but it kept on coming. This time she was ready and jumped high, out of the monster's path. As soon as she came down she heard it stomping around and coming at her again.

**"Dire Fate! Final Ascend!"** Skycalibur charged with Tarock's power and she raised it high above her head. As the dark shape barreled toward her once again she brought it down to split the ground at her feet. A tornado erupted from the ground and swept the monster up inside it as it whirled higher and higher. The fog was whipped away too, revealing the remains of a destroyed town, the dirt everywhere marked by the tracks of inhuman feet.

Meo looked up in awe at Tarock from where she'd lain cowering, then at the dark shape still whirling about trapped in the tornado. Small pieces were torn off by the winds, but they were dying down again and the monster still looked mostly intact. A second later and he would fall back to earth.

"Are you okay?" Meo asked uncertainly.

"He hit me pretty good a couple times," Tarock grunted shaking out her shoulders. "But I had to keep him from thinking I was dangerous until I could do that and get rid of the fog."

Meo gaped at Tarock. "You were letting him plow into you over and over?"

"Yeah," Tarock answered simply. She held up her green card, the Card of Pentacles. "Now…time to go to work," Tarock said as she loaded it.

"**Pentacles Suit!"** Her red armor shattered and a green card drifted down over her undersuit, encasing it in thick green armor and a feeling of overwhelming power filled her limbs.

The tornado had spun itself out and the Mythos crashed back down fifty feet away, and for the first time Tarock could see him clearly. It was a huge gray-skinned man with a head of dirty yellow hair, but the face of a bull with horns nearly four feet long. This type was one she did think she'd seen before, something from Greek mythology, that one monster who was stuck in a maze or something like that. The Minotaur.

The monster threw his arms wide and bellowed, a vibration Tarock could feel even through her heaviest armor. His muscles rippled and then he lowered his head and charged Tarock again. This time she planted her feet and held her arms ready to catch Minotaur, but suddenly waved a hand over the Royal Core on her belt.

"**Coronation! Knight of Pentacles!"** the Fate Driver cried out.

Just as the Minotaur plowed into Tarock and she grabbed his powerful shoulders, grinding him to a stop while he kept straining against her strength. Immediately behind him appeared a heavyset man in thick green medieval armor, wielding a warhammer. Knight smashed his weapon into Minotaur's unprotected shoulders, causing the monster to bellow in spin and whirl around to face this new opponent.

Tarock threaded her fingers together and formed one double fist that she clubbed into the bloody blue spot between Minotaur's shoulders. He cried out again and turned to look at Tarock then back at Knight before the green warrior could bury the head of his hammer in the monster's back again. Minotaur whipped toward Knight and dealt him a terrible punch that made him flicker for a second.

But in that second Tarock jumped and smashed her heel into Minotaur's head between his horns. The monster reeled for a second, long enough for Knight to recover and ram his armored shoulder into Minotaur's stomach and drag him ten feet before finally knocking the giant bull-man down.

She considered calling up her weapon but realized a weird feeling was coming over her she recognized as that battle-lust she'd felt when she fought Nuckelavee. Why did she need to bother arming herself? Minotaur was strong, but she was even stronger. Why not show it?

She didn't notice the cold on her arm turning into a harsh itch.

**"Calamity! Temblor Punch!**" Tarock's fist flashed and slammed into Minotaur's back, sending him flying. He crashed through the ruins of a house, and had just gotten his bearings when Knight came plummeting down at him, warhammer raised. Minotaur grabbed the haft of his attacker's weapon and lifted Knight off the ground then easily flipped him through the air and onto his armored back. Tarock lunged at the monster with her fists but with surprising speed for his size, Minotaur jumped away from her attack. Then he came charging at Tarock and raked his spear-like horns across her armor and knocked her tumbling.

Meo screamed, and Tarock imagined it had to do with the warm, oozing feeling in her side where the pain was the sharpest. But the itch on her arm blazed with an intensity even hotter and she just clenched her fists and jumped back to her feet. She'd only been flexing her muscles, but if this monster thought he'd seen everything she could do, well…she'd show him just how wrong he was.

The Minotaur bellowed and pounded his giant fists on the ground, knocking Meo and Knight down with a powerful tremor, while Tarock struggled to keep her footing. But the Fate Driver cried out **"Calamity! Earth Needle!" **Tarock stomped her foot and a mass of crisscrossing stone spikes erupted from the ground around Minotaur, piercing his body and sending sparks and blue gore into the air.

"The ground's mine!" Tarock yelled. Her hammer, the Gran Crusher, flashed into being in her hands. "And now I'm gonna put you in it!" For a second the left lens of her mask bulged and turned a dark, poisonous green and thin wiry hairs were jabbing out of the armor on her left forearm…

**"Dire Fate! Grand Impact!"** announced the Fate Driver as bolts of green energy crackled around the head of the Gran Crusher. Minotaur struggled against the rocky spikes holding him fast but Tarock jumped and brought her glowing hammer down on top of him. It cleaved through the monster's body with a rush of blue smoke in the air the only thing to mark his demise.

Meo fell onto her knees as the battle ended. "Unbelievable…so much power…"

"Not bad, huh?" Tarock asked proudly.

"I had no idea there was a new Tarock!" Meo gaped. "I'm sorry, if only I'd-"

"Stop it," Tarock said, almost a growl. She could feel a sudden surge of power, and looked toward it to see a glowing crystal rising out of the mass of stone spikes where Tarock had trapped the monster. "Get back!" she yelled.

And just in time. A huge gray bull, fifteen feet at the shoulder at least, formed around the crystal and came crashing to the ground snapping the stone spikes like toothpicks. It bellowed once, then charged Meo and Tarock.

* * *

><p>Ben clenched the reins of his metal mount as the sounds of battle grew even louder. Finally he threw them down, drawing a confused look from Air Talon, and jumped off, whipping out his transformation card.<p>

"That's it, I'm going after her!" he declared.

"Don't you think Liss can take of herself?" Lost interrupted him, quickly but quietly.

"That's not the point," Ben retorted. "Shardak thinks there's something wrong with Liss…that the reason she's showing powers she never had before is something's growing inside her and she might do something…bad. I shouldn't have let her go by herself in the first place."

"I did sense some of the darkness in her before," Loss replied.

"The what?"

"The darkness," she answered him. "What I vomit up, and those monsters to life from."

Ben stared holes in her. "You _knew_? The whole time?!" He sighed and rubbed at his forehead in exasperation, then looked up at the sky to see if the Wild Cards he sent were on their way back yet. As detestable as he found it to have to send them in the first place. "You knew, and you didn't say anything?"

Lost shrank back, unable to meet Ben's eyes. "I thought you knew. I thought Liss knew…I thought she had it under control. She's so strong, she's beaten everything she's faced. I didn't think it'd be a problem for her…I didn't even think the darkness could hurt people by itself. Only if it turned into monsters."

Ben prepared to say something sharp to put her in her place for thinking something so dangerous could only be dangerous one specific way, but he stopped himself. Her name said it all: lost. She didn't know where she came from or why she gave life to the Mythos the way she did. She had no understanding of the world beyond what she'd seen in that short time her memory encompassed. Lost was an innocent; how would she know how "the darkness" worked, or that someone strong enough could or couldn't master it?

"I'm sorry," Ben sighed. "I'm just worried about Liss. I'm supposed to watch her and make sure she's okay, but I'm here and she's running around beating on monsters-"

Lost looked at Ben slack-jawed, seeming abashed. "Then it's my fault?" she asked, her voice quavering.

"Not on purpose," Ben answered her. "But nobody really knows anything about the monsters, it seems like. I guess I just wish somebody did." He sighed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to help Liss fight. Now they're saying I might have to fight her instead, if they're right about something being wrong."

An endless minute passed as the sounds of battle raged even louder. Then Lost smiled. "You're a hero too, sounds like," she said.

"What?"

"You want to help Liss, right?" Lost said, smiling a bit wider. "But if you have to stand against her to keep people safe, you'd do it."

Ben sighed and looked away from her. "I don't know."

But Lost's smile didn't dim at all. "It doesn't seem easy to me. The things you and Liss are willing to do. I spent all my time running away from monsters before I met the two of you, because it seemed like there wasn't anything else I could do.

"But Liss…she said she saw a chance to fight back. Now the Arcana want her to be an example of that for everyone. It even worked on you," she said, pointing straight at Ben and still smiling. "I still don't think I could do that. But you two jumped right into this. You're risking your lives even though you're so young and there's so many to fight. That sounds like the kind of thing a hero would do."

Ben stared at her for a minute, then wondered just how much of an innocent Lost might really have been.

* * *

><p>Tarock shoved Meo out of the way and ran in the other direction to draw the monster bull's attention. To her relief the giant bull came rushing after her, even though she knew she had no hope of outrunning him for long in Pentacles Form. But she didn't have any intention of running.<p>

Instead she pressed her hand to the Royal Core. **"Coronation! Ace of Pentacles!**"

Knight's form flickered and turned into a cluster of green crystal shards that flowed through the air toward Tarock and gathered around her right hand, which held the Gran Crusher. They melded together with it and formed a hammer with a head twice as big and a haft nearly that much longer. The five-pointed star on the front had had been turned into a razor-sharp half-foot-high grille that looked sure to embed itself into the skin of anything hit with it.

She turned to face the giant bull, and jumped high into the air. The monster kept thundering toward her but Tarock swung her weapon and smashed it right into the base of one horn.

The bull bellowed with pain and Tarock jumped off his head. He turned and charged Tarock again, but this time she dug in her heels, held out her arms and blocked his charge with a grunt. The monster screamed in anger and tossed his head trying to break free from Tarock's hold on his jaw. She held on, gathering her power for her final attack.

"**Ace High! Earthsplitter!"** cried the Fate Driver. Tarock shoved the bull away and raised her gauntlet, which flashed with green power. He stomped toward her again but she yelled and swung her weapon at him with all her awesome strength, connecting with the side of the bull's head.

A huge crack curling at the edges with green power formed on the bull's cheek, and started spreading backward along its body. It bellowed in pain and tried to trample Tarock but she swung and smashed her weapon into his face on the other side making a new glowing crack. As the monster thrashed around in pain Tarock retreated to a safe distance.

The cracks her blows had created tore along the bull's sides and bacl until they crisscrossed its entire body seconds later. His body split along the crack down his spine and then the rest started to falls away, already dissolving into blue smoke. The bull had time for one last angry bellow before he was gone completely in a blue haze.

The Card of Pentacles ejected into Tarock's hand and she flickered back into Liss Decker once again, the wiry black hairs sticking out from the back of her arm unnoticed as they receded into her skin again. Liss took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself as the combat high that had fueled her minutes before started to fade. Maybe she'd only felt it the last couple times, she thought, but if this was what she could do in a fight if she felt it, let it come. That had been nothing compared to her fight with the Asura Mythos.

"Thank the heavens you came," Meo said, and Liss nearly jumped, having forgotten she was there.

"Don't thank anybody," Liss said. "You want to get anywhere, you have to grab life and tell it you're making the rules. The only destiny out there's the one you make for yourself."

"I'm hardly able to kill monsters," Meo pointed out.

Liss gave her a mild look of annoyance then answered, "Doesn't matter. Find something you're good at and make it yours. There's no one right way to be, you know. Maybe I'm good at this, but that doesn't mean it's the only thing worth being good at!"

Meo stared at Liss for a second, then smiled and nodded silently. Liss stood there a moment, confused herself at what she'd just said.

* * *

><p>A while later Liss and Meo came down a hill to meet Ben and Lost, at the end of a small procession of other disheveled teens. Ben had a look of disappointment on his face as Liss returned, but hid it before she could notice.<p>

"Looks like you could handle it after all, huh?" he said.

"Yeah," Liss said distantly. "But now what do we do? We'll have to take them back to Avalon or something, won't we?"

As she said that the green moth that'd been guiding them flew around Liss in urgent circles. It started flying off in one direction, then when it was about fifty feet away stopped and turned to face the group as if waiting.

"What's it doing?" Lost asked.

"Maybe it's saying we're almost to that Inverted Sage and we shouldn't turn around now," Liss suggested.

One of Meo's friends regarded her incredulously. "You're trying to find the Inverted Sage?"

Ben nodded with a smile. "Yeah, except Shardak is pretty sure we won't have to look too hard with that thing leading the way."

"But…," Meo said, "he doesn't talk to just anyone. Or that's what everyone's always said."

Liss hoisted herself into the saddle. "Don't have much choice," she said. "It's about keeping there from being any new monsters." She shot Lost a sidelong glance, deciding it best not to say anything about the part Lost played, unwilling though it was. They didn't need anybody making an attempt on Lost's life thinking that'd solve everything.

She turned to the youths she'd just saved. "What do you guys say? You want to help us get some answers out of the Sage?"

"If anybody can do that it's you, Liss," Meo beamed at her.

"Uh…thanks," Liss replied, but recovered quickly. "If everybody's up for it, let's head out before anymore monsters show up."

They started off across the plain, and at least now they could see where they were going as the green moth led them along. After a while one of the boys she'd saved tapped Liss on the leg and looked up at her.

"Do you think the Sage will know where my parents are? I'm so worried about them…" he asked.

Liss shrugged a little. "I don't know anything about this Sage except what Shardak said, and he didn't say a lot. I hope he can tell me how to stop more monsters from showing up, but I don't really know."

His face fell, like he'd been expecting Tarock to have all the answers too, even if she was probably only a year or two older than he was. "Look," she said, "a lot of shit's going down right now. Let's take care of the biggest problem first, then we'll see about fixing the other ones, okay?"

He smiled a little in response. "That sounds like the best idea," he conceded.

Shift Runner plodded along for a while longer and the sky turned darker in the strange way it did in the Sphere with no sun to indicate the time. Suddenly Liss felt a pair of skinny arms wrap around her from behind, and she turned slightly in the saddle to see Lost gently leaning against her back.

"It's all going to be all right, isn't it?" Lost asked, looking at Liss with the calmest expression Liss had ever seen on anyone's face.

"That's the plan," Liss replied, not knowing what else to say to such a question.

Lost smiled at that, and rested her cheek between Liss's shoulders.

She wasn't sure what to say about that either.

* * *

><p>She heard them creeping through the brush long before the first of them entered her sight. The first was a tall grinning skeleton with a dagger of sharpened bone in each hand. A wolf-faced man with dark blue fur. Two pot-bellied ogres in tiger-striped loincloths, one with blue skin and the other colored a dark red. Others behind them she couldn't make out in the looming darkness.<p>

The skeleton's eye sockets flashed and were filled with a burning red light. "Your time has come, Arcanum," a sharp, commanding female voice issued from the fleshless jaws. The other monsters spread out from behind him and surrounded her.

Her feline companion growled and tensed, but Leone patted him on the shoulder. "No," she said confidently. "Not just yet."

The large cat's eyes flashed yellow and he pounced, tackling one monster to the ground and shredding with his fearsome feline claws. The red and blue ogres rushed to their comrade's aid, their huge feet shaking the ground and making the sound of thunderclaps. The cat jumped again, ricocheting off the blue ogre and raking its hind claws against his chest in the process before rocketing into the red, starting to maul him and sending blue ooze flying before he'd even hit the ground.

The cat jumped to Leone's side, tensed and ready to spring into action again. "I cast off the bestial part of myself long ago," Leone said. "I gave up battle. But if it denies you what you seek, then I will gladly battle again."

In a flash the cat creature beside Leone was gone, and then Leone herself stood up, her body now covered in a thick pelt. She moved like a blur as zig-zagged through the monsters toward the skeleton who lashed out with surprising speed with its daggers and opened two trails of blood on her side. In the next second she smashed one massive paw into him and sent his bones flying, already disintegrating into blue smoke.

The twin ogres circled around Leone next, each wielding a spiked iron club. They swung them at Leone at the same time, but she held out her arms and caught the giant weapons on her hands. Blood seeped from between her fingers where the spikes dug in. Leone pushed them further and further away from her, growling in rage. All at once she ducked and lunged at another monster, and the ogres suddenly met no resistance and fell on their faces.

Leone came flying at a monster with the face and scales of a snake but the shape of a man. She growled and held her claws outstretched to rend him apart, but he held up a carved wooden rod with the head of a cobra on the end and hissed a quick series of words. Leone slammed into him and raised a claw, then gasped in pain and looked to see the fur falling from her arm and the flesh beneath starting to shrivel. Before she could recover from her shock and press her attack another Mythos slithered up behind her and bound her completely in vines.

The snake-man stared Leon in the face and seemed to grin before his eyes turned the blazing red of the skeleton's, and the commanding voice female voice issued from his mouth.

"You gave up battle, cast off your power…power belongs in the hands of those who know how to use it," said the voice. Then the snake-man extended his hand and a geyser of black slime ripped from his palm and down Leone's throat.

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt.<p>

Ben: I'm still worried about Liss…

(Three Changelings walk up to Liss outside a small stone building with candles burning in the windows. Her left eye flashes green and her left arm turns black with long stiff hairs growing from the back.)

Lost: Maybe the Sage can help her too.

(Ven and Donis enter the office of Carl Stanford, who greets them with a warm smile,)

Stanford: Together, I'm confident we can change the world!

(Out of their armor, Ven and Donis share an embrace)

Ven: I think we might finally be finding a place…

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	20. Chapter 20: A Night of Hope and Fear

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Twenty: A Night of Hope and Fear

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator, a mystical immortal being called an Arancum, asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Many battles followed, testing Liss's fortitude but also giving her the chance to gain powerful allies such as some of the Arcana, immortal beings who inspired the Tarot deck, and Ben Corland, her ex-boyfriend who can change into Vaga, a powerful warrior form of his own. However, some Arcana automatically consider Liss a menace because the first Tarock was responsible for the death of one of their number.

After her last few battles Liss was able to rescue a girl who only refers to herself as Lost, and is the source of the Mythos monsters. Directed to the Inverted Sage, a reclusive Arcanum who might be the only one able to tell Liss how to cure Lost of her affliction, they journey deep into the wilds of the Sphere, hoping to find a solution.

Meanwhile, Ben accompanies Liss, having been warned that she may be turning into something dark and dangerous…

* * *

><p>The small card bearing the image of the moth sat on Paige Decker's small kitchen table, while both she and her partner Kelly stared at it, almost afraid to touch it.<p>

"Look, Paige," Kelly said gently, "I know your sister's slaying monsters and that's better than cutting school, but this is really dangerous stuff she's involved in. Please don't let yourself get dragged into this too…you'll get killed."

"My crazy little sister's decided to save the world," Paige replied quietly. "She doesn't have anybody else now."

Kelly sighed and stood up. "I'm going to get a few things, but after that can we please still go to the play tonight?"

Paige nodded. "We will, I promise."

Having heard that, Kelly got up, got her purse and walked to the door. Paige waited until she heard the lock click and the rickety metal stairs stopped echoing from her shoes before she picked up the card.

She recognized it from the selection of gifts Liss had gotten from the strange being calling himself Jack, but it had still scared the daylights out of her and Kelly when it had shown up outside their window in the form of a giant crystal bug in the small hours of the morning. It had changed into the card in her hand, but she hadn't tried to figure out how to use it until now.

Kelly was right; Liss was involved in some dangerous things. Some very dangerous things. But for once in her life, Liss was doing something and making a positive impact. At least, that was how it seemed with the beautification projects Paige had been seeing around town, and that millionaire coming in to redevelop the area thanks to the local hero Liss had become, whether she'd meant to or not.

To say nothing of those two people who'd come from whatever world Liss had disappeared into. They'd said Liss had decided to spare them even though they'd tried to kill her multiple times, and they'd come to protect the town from monsters while she was gone.

But that was the thing, wasn't it? While Liss was gone. To wherever the monsters were coming from, for who knew how long. Paige had supported Liss at the beginning, hoping it would do Liss good to have better outlets for her frustration than pointless little displays against her parents and teachers. But Paige hadn't thought it would take Liss away from town. That she wouldn't be around to keep an eye on her crazy sister as crazy things played out.

That hadn't been the case, and Paige was afraid to see what the card revealed. Had Liss's luck finally run out, and this was a message telling her she'd never see her little sister again?

Paige took the card in both hands and tried to imagine passing energy into it, like Jack had said when telling Liss how they worked. There was a momentary feeling of warmth on her fingers that she felt seeping into the card, then a rectangular picture formed in the air above it.

There was Liss, sitting on a rock in front of a campfire. Next to her was a skinny girl in a ragged black robe. "Hi, Paige," Liss said. "This is Lost," she indicated the girl next to her. "The monsters I've been fighting are coming from her, but we've got a lead on how to stop that."

"Hello," Lost said timidly.

"She isn't dangerous like the monsters," Liss said. "I'm sorry I'm going to be away for a while, but don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Even if I have Ben around holding me back."

Lost tapped her on the shoulder. "There's no need for that…"

Liss looked up as if scanning the horizon for something, then turned back to where she'd been facing. "I'm doing fine, don't worry about me. I'm sorry if you had to wait but obviously I can't just call."

There was a sound of a branch snapping somewhere nearby. "I think Ben's on his way back," Lost said.

"Where'd he go?" Liss muttered, but said, "We're doing fine, Paige! Don't worry! And tell Sensei I'm okay!" Then the pictured faded out.

Paige set it down, got up and went to get ready for her night out with a slightly reassured smile on her face.

* * *

><p>The sky of the Sphere turned a deep red as Shift Runner led the small, ragged procession late into the afternoon. At the end where he was supposed to be keeping an eye out for trouble, Ben urged his mount forward to walk beside Shift Runner.<p>

"Are you sure taking them all along was such a good idea?" Ben whispered, unobtrusively pointing behind him at the youths following behind.

Liss shrugged. "They agreed to it," she reminded him.

"That's not what I mean. I got enough food for you, me and Lost because I thought it was just gonna be us. All of them? What if we run out before we make it?"

She shrugged again. "They can have mine. I haven't really felt hungry in a couple days."

"Right, because all your training," Ben said. He had to keep the fear she was turning into a monster to himself. Even though Shardak had put him in charge of stopping Liss if they turned out to be right, he had no doubt Liss would destroy him if it came to a fight. He had to have a plan, and he had to keep the fact that he was coming up with a plan to himself…

"Feh. You're taking this work-class hero thing pretty serious after all, huh? We gonna rob from the rich or some shit like that if we get the chance?" Ben said, hiding his unease behind a joke.

Lost looked at him quizzically while Liss ignored his remark. "I don't think we're going to run into any rich people out here…what does 'rich' mean?"

One of the boys they'd saved called out, and they turned to see what was going on. "Hey…I heard what you said about food. There's this man who lives around here. Name's Oben. He could probably help us," he explained.

"And the Mythos won't have gotten him?" Liss said, asking the obvious question.

The boy shrugged. "Oben's been hiding out in the mountain for years. He's probably staying out of sight even more these days."

Liss exchanged a glance with Ben. "Well, if you think he'll let us find him, why not?" she said. "Which way do we go?"

He pointed at a low mountain a few miles away. Liss turned Shift Runner toward it, and started their procession again in its direction.

* * *

><p>Nema and Lurian, the former envoys of the Arcana and now exiles from their home on the Sphere, rose early and left the small campsite they'd made for themselves on the edge of the town. Together they made their way to the once-abandoned amusement park to meet with the man in charge of restoring it.<p>

Carl Stanford.

Workers stopped and stared at the pair in their outlandish black and white robes as they approached the gate in the chainlink fence. They'd clearly been told to expect the two, though, and waved them through. Near a row of trailers was a table covered in blueprint diagrams. Standing around it were men in orange vests and hardhats, and between them a man in a hardhat and a million-dollar suit.

At first glance it seemed impossible he could be the one in charge of all the people running back and forth with supplies and climbing up and down scaffoldings carrying out repairs on the attractions. He was short, and had a full, slightly doughy face behind his thick glasses, and a large gauze pad taped to one cheek with the edges of a dark bruise peeking out around the edges.

He was nothing like the Arcana, who radiated raw power onto everyone in their presence. But this man commanded the attention of everyone at the table who were obviously the heads of the various aspects of the project. No doubt a large part of his authority was the funding he was providing for the project, but when one of the supervisors said something the man in the suit suddenly whipped toward him brandishing a finger and bellowing something loud but indecipherable over all the activity.

But the man he pointed at and the two on either side stepped back suddenly in surprise, nearly spilling their mugs of coffee. There was no denying Stanford was a man possessing a force of personality belying his outward appearance.

And he wanted to meet the two of them, who he apparently saw as the guardians of the town in Tarock's absence. He'd had his people contact them and made it clear he wanted to know everything about them and the Sphere, to have a book published so everyone on this new world would know about the fight. Lurian had been unsure, but Nema had reminded him they were trying to start things off in a new place and winning over the locals was probably in their best interests.

So, here they were.

Stanford and everyone else at the table looked up as Nema and Lurian approached, and Stanford waved the others off and skirted the table to approach the two strangers. "Thank you for coming down!" Stanford said and flashed a blinding smile. "I hope you won't be offended if I say I'm still hoping to meet Tarock herself, but I'm glad you've agreed to come out and talk to me. I can't wait to hear all about this other world you're from!"

Lurian looked back and forth at the entire scene of construction and controlled chaos unfolding around them. "You certainly seem to have high hopes for this one, if you don't mind me saying so," he said. "All the work you're having done here…"

Stanford shrugged and smiled again. "They always told me the world's a cruel place, but people are the ones who made the world the way it is, so I thought that could only be true if the people in it were cruel. So I heard about someone protecting their town from monsters, I had to jump right on that and fan those flames, didn't I? Show people this is what we as a species are capable of if we stand firm!"

The couple exchanged confused looks but looked Stanford in his grinning face. "I suppose that's how you got where you are," Nema said. "That passion you have."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it!" Stanford said. "This park? This is nothing. I've got people getting that band, Dragon Sound, to come up all the way from Florida to play a concert when it opens. Some act called Blood Angels from out in Rittersburg. I already got L-Mitless to agree to come and perform too after the finish up a gig at Siren's Point. They've got a new member who's supposed to be pretty popular. Maybe even Shattered Manacles themselves …ah, but there I go. You're not from around here, you've probably never heard of any of them."

Nema replied, "Well, we do have performers that are famous in the empire…Benzer Giben, the Teryln Sisters…"

"They sang 'Against the Purple Sky,' didn't they?" Lurian asked, smiling faintly. Nema nodded and smiled as well. Stanford took a step back, his own grin not diminishing.

"You asked the band to play that the second time we went out, didn't you?" said Nema.

Lurian's face fell. "It was the third time." He paused. "Wasn't it?"

"Maybe," Nema said, smiling slightly dreamily at the memory.

"Hey," Stanford said, "I know some people who might able to sign them, if they're interested. Is that what you'd like to talk about first, maybe? It's pretty quiet in the trailers, we could get you folks some coffee."

Nema and Lurian looked at each other again, then nodded and followed Stanford to a nearby row of shiny trailers. He ushered them inside one, told someone passing by to bring refreshments, then closed the door and sat down at a table in the middle. He got a recorder out of his briefcase and motioned for the pair to sit down opposite him.

"Pardon me for saying this," Lurian said, "but you seem like a very busy man. Isn't this the kind of thing you'd have someone take care of for you?"

"Normally, yes," answered Stanford. "But I've got two people from another world who've agreed to tell me about their home and the powers they've been given. This is a once in a lifetime chance, and I'm not going to delegate that to anyone."

Nema nodded, still a little uncertain but feeling more and more reassured by the passion Stanford seemed to radiate for every project he was involved in. "I don't know that we can fit everything into one afternoon…"

"I'm willing to make more than one afternoon for this," Stanford said with a nod.

"Well," Lurian said, and took a deep breath, "We are from a world we call the Sphere, from an empire called Mazones…"

* * *

><p>Trees had begun to surround Shift Runner, blocking out the view of the mountain they'd been approaching. Liss curled her hand into a fist as a slight feeling of cold traveled up her arm, but then it was gone. Maybe it was the cool of night settling in this time, and not a monster lying in wait…?<p>

"Are you guys sure there's somebody who lives out here?" she asked the refugees, sounding a bit disbelieving.

"If he's here the Mythos probably didn't get him. Doesn't exactly look like there's been any big fights with monsters around here," Ben pointed out. "There's no huge holes ripped in the ground and all these trees are still standing."

"Yeah, but who says they'd need to wreck everything to get an old guy? They can disguise themselves as regular people sometimes," Liss pointed out right back.

"Oh yeah? Which ones? Maybe you better bust out your Pokedex or something and check."

Liss rolled her eyes at the remark. Lost, however, tried to intervene. "Maybe if we hurry we'll have enough food to get there before we run out?"

"What about the trip back?" Ben asked.

"Shhh!" Liss hissed suddenly and everyone went silent, even the murmured conversation of the refugees they were escorting. There was a faint rustling in the trees nearby, and Liss silently swung herself down from the saddle. She disappeared into the trees, and Ben sighed in frustration as she left him behind once again.

For a minute Liss crept through the trees in the direction of the sound she'd heard, then stopped. She looked around and listened for any other signs of what had made the noise. Suddenly her left eye seemed to throb and the forest around her seemed to be reaching her eyes through a dark green filter. But through it she could suddenly see a bright white shape big enough to be an attacker.

She didn't notice the haze at all, instead Liss launched herself at it, grabbing for its arms to pin it before it could attack. It swiped at her feet with something, and although it seemed to be moving in slow motion to her strange new sense there was a sudden compulsion in her mind. To let it strike her, even though it would do no damage. As it did Liss threw herself backward as if the blow had knocked her off her feet, and after she landed on her back she laid there a few seconds as if stunned. All part of a trick to make her attacker think she wasn't a threat…

Her attacker stood over her, the wooden staff he'd used to attack her pressed to her throat. He was a man with a thick white beard, dressed in rugged brown clothes and a hood. "Just who do you think you are," he demanded, "bringing a parade of children into this forest with all the monsters running loose?"

"I'm Tarock," Liss answered. She pushed the staff out of the way and got to her feet. "And I'm guessing you're the old man who lives around here we've been looking for."

"The old man who just knocked you on your ass," he replied. "Not too encouraging for a new Tarock, if you really are. What would Tarock be doing all the way out here?"

Liss didn't answer right away. Instead she whistled and sent a mental command to Shift Runner to join her. She heard Lost let out a yip of surprise as the horse started moving closer. "We're looking for the Inverted Sage," Liss said, "We heard he might know how to stop the Mythos."

The man scratched the side of his head with his staff. There was suddenly a very old, tired glimmer to his eyes as he stared at Liss. "The Inverted Sage, eh?" he asked incredulously. "Nobody but the Arcana have talked to him in at least century."

"You know that from experience?" Liss asked.

"Girl, I been here long, but not that long," he replied, a sigh creeping into his voice. "But I've still seen a good many people go looking for the Inverted Sage, saying he'd tell them how to be rich, or how to win the heart of the prettiest girl in the village. All of them came back empty-handed."

"Yeah, well the frigging world wasn't about to end over what they wanted to know, was it?" Liss replied. The small procession of the youths she'd been leading came into view through the trees, Lost mounted on Shift Runner in the lead, Meo and her friends behind and Ben on Air Talon bringing up the rear.

Liss looked up at the old man, and said, "They told me you could help us with food and a safe place to spend the night. Is that true, mister?"

For a split second Liss could see the face of her father on top of Oben's, the face she'd hardly seen since the night her older sister had been kicked out of the family. It felt weird asking someone older for help, after all the effort she'd used to put into making life miserable for them since that night. They'd been the enemy, someone to prove she was better than or didn't need. Even Jack and Shardak still kind of seemed that way, with how badly they'd needed her to be Tarock even though they hadn't completely trusted her.

But asking for help also felt weird after all the power she'd gained as Tarock. She could crush the biggest, strongest monsters she'd ever imagined, it didn't seem like looking after a bunch of kids would be anything she'd need to ask for help with.

Liss had a good number of skills…sneaking, getting into places she wasn't supposed to be, tricking people into underestimating her, and killing monsters it turned out. But, she had to admit, camping wasn't one of them. Providing for a bunch of other people wasn't one of them. She was a city girl; Sandy Burger was open 24 hours a day and one was never more than five blocks from where you were.

That made Liss stop and think for a second about a time, not all that long ago she'd failed. After weeks of hiding in the city of Mazones, recovering from her previous battles, she'd made a friend of a girl named Rexia. Liss had destroyed a monster attacking the city, even after the empire's strongest warrior had failed. But after exposing herself as Tarock, Rexia had felt betrayed and told Liss to stay away from her.

As soon as they talked to this Inverted Sage, she was heading back there to let Rexia know Tarock the killer was the one who'd gotten rid of the Mythos once and for all. See what she thought of that…

Oben coughed, bringing her back to reality, and pulled on his beard, making Liss wonder if people grew beards just so they could pull on it and look wise. "The Mythos have been coming by more and more, all headed the same way, toward the city," he mused. "They're up to something…maybe this little quest of yours can stop them before they have the chance. If you really are Tarock, anyway."

"**Swords Suit!"** A red flash followed and Oben turned to find the girl he'd been talking to replaced by a figure in gleaming red armor. "I'm either Tarock or the best impersonator you'll ever see," she said.

He smiled faintly and said, "Well then, maybe you and your friends had better spend the night with me. But don't make any noise, and step exactly where I do," Oben warned.

Tarock faded back to Liss, who waved the others to follow. "Well, you heard the guy…"

* * *

><p>"You know, I'm sure they'd be willing to let us have a place to stay in town…"<p>

"Let's endear ourselves to the locals tomorrow," Nema said, "I've had enough after talking to that Stanford person all afternoon."

Lurian couldn't deny feeling pretty exhausted himself, even though all they'd done was sit in a climate-controlled trailer and answer questions about Mazones, the Sphere, the Arcana, the Mythos, and even everyday life before they'd gotten their powers, like that year's yield crops coming in twice their normal size before Lurian and Nema had left. Although the pair had spared him the details of why their marriage had been on the rocks before they'd been approached by the Arcana…

He lay down inside their small tent and sighed with relief as soon as he was inside. "I can't believe he wants to know even more," Lurian groaned. "What's he going to want? All the regulations I learned in the academy?"

"Would it really surprise you?" Nema asked, sitting down beside him with a trace of a smile.

"No, it wouldn't," Lurian answered her. "But…I don't know, it felt good to tell it to someone. Do you suppose he'll want to know about Tarock next?"

Nema gently stroked her fingers through his hair. "I wonder what we'd tell him…what do we even know about her, besides how she didn't kill us when she had the chance?"

"Maybe that's enough," Lurian replied, almost seeming to purr at his wife's stroking. "At least for now…?"

"Until we can meet her again and ask her ourselves, I suppose," Nema said and smiled gently.

Lurian sat up, and he and Nema exchanged tentative glances before he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips before pulling away. When he looked into his wife's face she was smiling gently back at him. It shot to the core of his being, affecting him as deeply as any vision the Arcana had shown him of the emotional moments of their life together to rekindle those feelings.

"That was…nice," he said.

"Maybe we should see if we can work our way up from 'nice'," Nema suggested, smiling.

Lurian smiled back. "Let's."

* * *

><p>"…and she hit the bull right on his head, and he started to fall apart! And she hit him again, and he just started to fall apart even faster!"<p>

As they ate supper around a fire in the cave Oben called home, Meo seemed even more excited to tell the story even though her friends had already heard it. Oben himself raised a bushy eyebrow and chewed on a leg of meat, saying nothing. Everyone else in their entourage stared at Liss as they ate, while she just looked back with an expression of hopeless confusion as to what they expected from her.

"And I missed all of it," Ben muttered. Oben moved closer to him.

"And just what might your part in all this be, young man?" he asked quietly enough that the others couldn't hear.

Ben sighed. "Apparently I'm the guy who holds the fort while everyone else gets all the respect."

"And is that so bad?" Oben asked. Ben knitted his brow and narrowed his eyes at him in confusion, but mainly annoyance at such a ridiculous question. Oben shrugged. "Well, look at her," he said. "Your friend's getting all that respect you're so jealous of, and she looks to me like she has no idea what to do with it. Maybe it isn't everything you think it is."

"I don't care about impressing _them_," Ben replied irritably. "I got my powers to help Liss…we used to be an item, and I want her to see how strong and brave I can be. But every time a monster shows up she handles it all by herself. All I do is make sure Lost doesn't get hurt or kidnapped or whatever."

Oben nodded and took another bite. "Ah yes, Lost. She's pretty important to your friend's plan I'd guess, isn't she?" he said.

"Yeah," Ben muttered.

Oben shrugged. "And if she lets you guard this Lost girl, maybe she trusts you more than you think."

"Or maybe she knows nothing's going to happen and doesn't want me getting in her way," Ben grumbled.

"Maybe," Oben said. "Or maybe she trusts you more than you think."

An annoyed grunt escaped Ben's mouth. But he looked over at Lost as she sat with the other refugees. She saw him looking and gave him an appreciative smile in return. Just like the time she told him she thought he and Liss were heroes, even if he wasn't slinging power attacks around in every battle.

He smiled back a little himself, then looked over at the overwhelmed Liss as she retreated to an empty corner of the cave to eat her dinner in peace. She met his eyes for just a second, looking back at him with a curious eyebrow perked slightly, rather than annoyed at why he was looking at her. A second later he looked away again.

Finally Ben looked up at Oben, and gave the old man a sober nod.

It looked like the old man was smirking behind his beard.

* * *

><p>Hours later the fire had died and the party had settled in to sleep. Lost had fallen asleep with her arms wrapped around one of Liss's for reassurance, but as the rest of them huddled together for warmth as they slept, Liss carefully pulled free of Lost's embrace and slipped out past her sleeping companions to the entrance of the cave.<p>

A chill wind was blowing through the forest but Liss didn't bother pulling her duster tight to keep out the cold. She stood and stared in the dark, waving trees that hid the entrance and waited for several minutes until three shapes melted out of the darkness. They were three faceless Changeling Mythos, and they stopped in front of Liss without attacking.

Her left eye bulged for a second and turned a dark, poisonous green as wiry hairs sprouted from the back of her left forearm…

* * *

><p>"Ben! BEN!" Lost cried, shaking him awake from dreams of a formal ball where everyone wore monstrous masks. "I can feel monsters fighting nearby!"<p>

Ben jumped up, staggering around the cave as he tried to wake up the rest of the way in a hurry. He fumbled for his change card, already having a feeling Liss had everything under control.

He wasn't far wrong. As he stumbled toward the sounds of fighting, his eyes finally clear enough for him to identify an attacker, he could just make out Tarock swinging her sword and cleaving a Changeling in two. It disintegrated into dust before its parts had even hit the ground. The card ejected from her belt and she changed back into Liss.

"Come on," she said, "They found us, we have to get moving right now!"

"Wait!" Ben yelled. "How'd they find us? Isn't this place supposed to be secret? Lost didn't cough up anymore monsters in the middle of the night."

Liss pointed at what had once been a stack of crates and sacks, but as Ben's head cleared he recognized them as Oben's food store; Ben had helped carry some of it in and prepare dinner. Now it was all smashed, trampled and burnt. Something twitched behind the biggest remaining stack, and Ben turned away in disgust.

"Everybody, get up!" Ben yelled, his voice echoed through the cave and was answered by a chorus of groans as the others woke up. "Get ready to go, the Mythos found us!"

"Is Liss all right?" Lost asked anxiously, and heaved a sigh of relief when Ben nodded. They hurried outside and Ben quickly climbed onto Air Talon. As Liss ran out he finished a headcount and noticed Oben was missing.

"What happened to Oben?" he asked Liss, trying to hide a note of worry.

"The Mythos got him," Liss answered as she pulled Lost into the saddle behind her. "I heard him fighting them and that was when I jumped in. But come on, we need to get moving! There's probably more on the way!"

Liss led them away from Oben's hideout and into the dark forest. None of them noticed the shadowy figure slipping away through the trees.

* * *

><p>Against the darkness of night, the large Ora Stone resting on the floor in the Empress's chambers flared with light. <em>Finally<em>, she thought, something to distract her from all worsening reports of the violence near the wall spreading toward the core of the city. That would require drastic measures, but it could wait until after she'd heard this report.

A pillar of light rose from the gem, and in it formed the image of Thena, the Empress's most trusted envoy, still dressed in her immaculately maintained armor, her face hidden by the visor of her winged helmet. "Empress," she said, "I have…unexpected news."

"_Productive_ news, I hope," Maeve reminded her.

For a split-second, Thena shuddered. "Yes, very much so," she replied. "I've located the lost soul, the source of the Mythos. That is not all, however."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Empress. Tarock is guarding her," Thena answered.

Empress Maeve's eyes went wide at the news. "Well then, it seems we have a chance to end all our problems at once, doesn't it…?"

* * *

><p>Next time, on Kamen Rider Tarock Re-Dealt…<p>

(Jack stops in shock outside the hill where Shardak's hideout was located, the entire thing having been leveled)

Jack: The purge…it's beginning.

(Lost vomits up a huge pile of black slime and a gang of monsters start to arise)

Lost: It's getting worse…I don't want this…help me! **Please**!

(Tarock in her Swords Form disarms Vaga and then starts to strangle him)

Ben/Vaga: This isn't you, Liss…I won't believe it…

(Glowing with violet power, Empress Maeve flies down to confront Tarock and Vaga)

Empress Maeve: It's who Tarock's always been, a murderer.

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

XXX


	21. Chapter 21: Queen Takes Knight

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Twenty-One: Queen Takes Knight

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Many battles followed, testing Liss's fortitude but also giving her the chance to gain powerful allies such as some of the Arcana, immortal beings who inspired the Tarot deck, and Ben Corland, her ex-boyfriend who can change into Vaga, a powerful warrior form of his own. However some Arcana automatically consider Liss a menace because the first Tarock was responsible for the death of one of their number.

After her last few battles Liss was able to rescue a girl who knows herself only as Lost, and is the source of the Mythos monsters. Directed to the Inverted Sage, a reclusive Arcanum who might be the only one able to tell Liss how to cure Lost of her affliction, they journey deep into the wilds of the Sphere, hoping to find a solution.

Meanwhile, Ben accompanies Liss, having been warned that she may be turning into something diabolical…

* * *

><p>Something felt wrong as the wind blew across Jack's face, and he hurried even faster to his destination. He and Master Shardak been worried the danger to their kind was growing, especially as the Mythos seemed to be stronger and more numerous every time they appeared.<p>

The trees gave way to the barren hills where Shardak hid himself from the rest of the world. But even before Jack's speed carried him past the first rise his stomach clenched in fear. Two thin ribbons of smoke rose toward the skies to from somewhere ahead, and Jack sped up until he reached the top of the tallest hill around.

All it did was confirm his fears. The area was unmistakable as the one where Master Shardak's hideout was located.A cluster of hills had been completely beaten into rubble a few miles away, so recently there were still a few smoldering fires amidst the rubble. Jack took the hobo stick off his shoulder and let it rest against the ground.

His friend was finally and truly gone.

For a second Jack's blood boiled. How had they known to attack this area? Shardak had been hiding here for eons. How could the Mythos have found him unless…

…unless he'd been right about Liss being corrupted by the Mythos.

Jack sighed. He hadn't wanted to believe it. He'd allowed himself to think behind a gruff exterior Liff was the kind of brave youth they needed. That she could become a new Tarock and inspire their people just when they needed it most.

Maybe that was what he'd let himself think because it was what the Sphere needed as the Mythos grew in strength. The Wild Cards he'd been sending to record her battles had inspired such confidence in the citizens of Avalon, and even inspired their military to launch that special project of theirs. The Emperor was even feeling nostalgic for his own days as a warlord seeing Tarock and Vaga in action.

But what did all that matter if Liss was a traitor, even if the decision hadn't been her own? The small resurgence of hope she'd managed to create would be wiped out if somehow she'd been brought under the control of the Mythos. No, worse than wiped out, pushed back further than where it'd been before she appeared and started fighting back the Mythos. After it turned out the only one willing to take those monsters on was some kind of fraud…

Jack closed his eyes and sucked in a slow, deep breath that filled his body. The implications of this were distracting him from the problem right in front of him. Shardak's fears of something dark inside Liss might have enabled this destruction, but the true message was much worse.

A purge of the Arcana was beginning. The others, even Mazones, would need to be warned…

* * *

><p>The sky was finally beginning to brighten, and Liss called a halt. The refugees almost collapsed on top of each other from their desperate march through the night, after the cave where they'd been hiding had been discovered by the Mythos.<p>

Ben looked at Liss uncertainly, then quickly looked away as soon as she looked back. Worry was starting to claw at the edges of his mind, that the Mythos hadn't found them by accident. He hadn't wanted to believe Shardak's warning that something was wrong with Liss and maybe she was turning into something evil.

He'd been trying to come up with contingency plans in case he did have to go up against her, but in the back of his mind, Ben hadn't wanted to believe he'd ever need them.

Liss wasn't turning into a monster, she couldn't be. She was so strong, so powerful, so brave…if that kind of thing could happen to anybody, it wouldn't be Liss. No, it would be somebody afraid to fight, somebody who took the easy way out. No, not Liss. Not Liss.

The green moth Wild Card they'd been following buzzed urgently around Liss, who brushed it off with her hand. This shook Lost, who'd fallen asleep in the saddle and was leaning against Liss's back as she dozed, but woke up suddenly from the movement and almost fell off before Liss looped an arm around her waist and pulled her back.

"Everybody take a break, but don't get too comfy," Liss ordered them. "We're finding that sage **today**."

Smiles formed on almost every tired face, even Ben's. Why would Liss be rallying everyone if she was turning into a monster? Why wouldn't she just get rid of them and do whatever monster stuff she was going to do next?

But she wasn't going to do some kind of monster thing, she was going to lead them to the Inverted Sage, who was going to tell them how to cure Lost. That was the last thing a double agent for the Mythos would do.

Wasn't it?

* * *

><p>A little resentfully, Angelo opened the blinds on the front windows of his school. It had been days since Liss and that friend of hers had been seen in town. He wasn't having trouble keeping up with all the students on his own, but a few were asking where Liss was and when she was coming back, something she hadn't been good enough to try and let anyone know in the meantime. Angelo wasn't experienced in the specifics of Kamen Riders and the kind of company they kept, but it seemed impossible they had no way at all of letting their friends know they were all right….<p>

"She's still not back, daddy?" asked Virginia, straightening her glasses. Angelo hardly recognized his younger daughter since she'd decided to dye her hair blazing red and styled it into a mass of finger coils. So next time Liss was in town, she said, she could be sure of catching the young heroine's eye.

And that worried him. Virginia had insisted on extra sessions of martial arts lessons the same time she changed her hairstyle, and he had no doubt they were for the same reason; his prize pupil had caught his daughter's eye, and Virginia was hoping for the chance to impress Liss. But letting his prize pupil who'd found special powers go out to save the world was one thing. Letting his (younger!) daughter think about that was quite another.

"No, honey. Liss still isn't back. I'm sure she's got a really good reason, though," Angelo answered her. "I just wish I knew if those two characters from the Sphere did for hanging around here…"

Virginia looked out the window. "They killed one of the monsters right in front of you and that reporter lady, didn't they, daddy?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "And the first time I ever saw them they tried to kill Liss, remember?"

She nodded. "And aren't you telling everyone in class about how even someone like Liss can be a hero?"

"Trying to murder somebody isn't the same thing as cutting class, sweetie," he told her. He looked up as two black and white streaks shot across the sky, and grumbled to himself. "Black fought because he had to…he was the only one who could. Those things were just after power, they had to be stopped. Why would those two come after Liss and think they were on some kind of holy mission? She's just a kid…"

Virginia sighed and shook her head. "No she's not, daddy. She's a hero who's fighting for everyone in town, right? That's what you tell class every time."

"Yeah, I do, don't I?" Angelo sighed. "But don't you go thinking just because you went up a belt you get to be her Robin or some crap like that."

She groaned.

* * *

><p>The moth seemed to pick up speed as they followed it into the afternoon, as if indicating how close they were getting. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on Liss's part, since Lost was starting to groan and look green in the face as if she couldn't handle being on a horse for so long even though she had every time before.<p>

"Maybe we ought to stop for a little bit?" Ben suggested. "Lost isn't looking so hot."

"She pukes up freaking _monsters_," Liss said sharply. "Getting a little carsick won't kill her."

"What?" Ben asked, unable to hide how taken aback he felt, Lost gaping at Liss as well. Ben tried to surreptitiously slip a hand to the pocket where his transformation card was kept.

Liss sighed in exasperation, but dismounted and helped Lost down next. "Okay, we'll take a break. A **quick** break," she said. Lost leaned hard against her, gasping for breath. Liss sighed, but held her up and carried her into the shade of a small clump of twisted trees nearby.

The others settle down and started chatting amongst themselves. A lot of them were smiling, and Meo, the girl who'd become sort of the leader of the group, looked right at Ben and asked, "Do you really think it's true, Ben? That we'll find the Inverted Sage and get to ask him how to save the Sphere? Us, a couple of dirty kids?"

"We're not just a couple kids," he replied, watching Liss out of the corner of his eye. She propped Lost up against a tree and then stood nearby waiting for the girl to recover. For just a second, he could've sworn Liss's eye flashed a dark green.

Meo smiled a little wider at Ben. "Well, you aren't," she said. "Wonder if they'll even talk about the rest of us when this is all over…"

"Let's save the world first, then we can talk about who did what," Ben replied, looking a little less surreptitiously at Liss. A shiver traveled up his spine as her eye turned green again, and this time she turned and saw him looking over at her.

Meo was about to say something but was interrupted when Lost suddenly screamed and fell to the ground. Ben and Liss were already rushing to her side but she wretched horribly and spewed a stream of black slime. Ben took her by the arm and started dragging her away, but Lost didn't stop shaking and spewing the black goo. Instead he let go and waved his card in front of his bracelet.

"**Change Vaga!**" it announced just before his armor solidified, and nearby he could the announcement of "**Swords Suit!**" coming from Liss's Fate Driver. The familiar sensation of superhuman strength and speed filled Ben's body as he became Vaga again, but he was wasn't comforted by the rush, worried instead he was going to need those powers against more than just the inhuman forms taking shape in the puddle of blackness Lost was vomiting up.

"I'm sorry," Lost choked through another mouthful of the horrible slime. "I was trying to hold it in! I thought if I could hold it long enough-" she pleaded before being silenced by another heave and another thick splash of blackness. The pool of slime was already eight feet across and two forms had finished solidifying from it already while other clawed their way out of the ooze behind them. One had a long serpentine tail in place of legs and the upper body of a woman, but her face was dominated by crazed eyes and a pair of three-inch fangs sticking up from her lower jaw. In hands with fingers that were far too long she clutched a solid metal spear.

The other was humanoid, but Vaga took one look at her hair, its strands dancing of their own accord, and looked away. The first monster he recognized from Jack's monster cram school: a Lamia, a vicious snake monster that was either a vampire or a cannibal, accounts varied, but nasty in all of them.

The second monster he recognized from personal experience. It was one of those snake-hair ladies who could turn people to stone with their eyes, a Medusa. Or, no, a Gorgon. Jack had been insistent on making sure he knew the difference, for some reason. Personally, Ben would've thought being turned to stone was the more important thing to remember with the way he'd almost ended up petrified when it took him a minute to recognize the monster…

Lamia crouched on her tail and suddenly launched herself at Vaga, spear aimed at his heart. He brandished his Warder and a screen of light appeared in its path deflecting the tip away from him, but the Lamia slithered back and forth with blinding speed jabbing her weapon just as quickly, catching Vaga five times on the chest before another blow out of nowhere sent him cartwheeling off the ground. He got his feet underneath him and landed in a crouch. "Vaga Lancer!" he said and his weapon shimmered and changed into a long spear of his own he used to parry Lamia's next stab and then swing the weapon at Lamia, opening a long gash that seeped blue blood.

Armor glistening red, Tarock hurled herself at Medusa. She tackled the snake-haired monstrosity and they both went rolling across the ground, through the puddle of black slime even as more forms started to emerge. They both rolled onto their feet and in a flash Tarock was wielding her sword Skycalibur and Medusa recoiled as the first powerful swing came singing through the air and missed the monster by inches.

"Watch out, Liss!" Vaga called. "That one can change people to statues!" He gasped as Lamia suddenly crouched on her tail and sprang toward him, crashing into him and dragging him twenty feet along the rocky ground before coming to a painful stop. Vaga recovered his senses and gripped his weapon, and looked up to see Lamia's eyes turn an even scarier red.

"Seems as if you've got something to watch out for yourself," said the gloating of the White Lady through the monster's mouth. She opened her jaws so wide the skin actually cracked open a few inches back, leaking blue blood, and then lunged for his neck with her fangs. Vaga gasped and grabbed the haft of his spear in both hands like a staff then jabbed it up, catching her throat against the length of the haft and trying to shove her back before she could sink her teeth into his neck. The struggled back and forth for a minute before Vaga managed to curl his legs against his chest, then plant his feet on Lamia and shove her away with all his strength. She gasped as she went flying back in an arc and landed with a sound somewhere between a crunch and a splat. In a heartbeat she was back up and zigzagging toward him again, spear raised.

"You aren't gonna get me!" Vaga yelled and charged right back at her, their weapons deflecting off each other with a clang that reverberated through the air.

Medusa's eyes flashed and a bright red beam shot from them but Tarock rolled out of the way just in time. There was no explosion, no hail of dirt, no gaping hole in the ground to mark its power. Before Medusa could attack again Tarock launched herself at the snake-haired monstrosity, swinging armored fists at her enemy's face.

A small, distant part of Tarock's mind told her this wasn't an enemy to fight at close range. That she should've been in her ranged Cups Form, or at least fighting at super-speed in Wands Form. It was the smarter choice, the safer choice. The one that'd prove she was not just a better fighter than any monster the White Lady picked to throw at her, but a smarter one too.

But her left fist slammed into Medusa's eye, and Tarock didn't notice the stiff hairs sticking up from arm, even through her suit. She _could_ fight like that, but even as Medusa dragged herself out of the dirt and one eye—the one Tarock hadn't just hit, probably shutting it forever–flashed before the beam flew again, it was obvious she was dominating her snake-haired opponent. Tarock easily spun out of the way of the beam and charged, swinging her sword and drawing a gout of blue blood with every slash.

Her eye seemed to bulge painfully for a second but then it was past, and she was grinning with battle lust behind her mask. Very sweet of Ben to give her a warning about what this monster could do, but if one had given him trouble, that was because he was just a replacement for her. A powerful slash sent a pair of snakes spinning through the air. They landed in the dirt with a splat and continued to hiss angrily and thrash for a few more seconds before dissolving into blue fog. Medusa hissed and a beam lanced, almost desperately, from the good eye she still had. Again Tarock lashed out with Skycalibur, this time the blade aimed at Medusa's neck.

But suddenly Medusa's scaly hands seemed to come out of nowhere and clasped around the middle of the blade. She hissed in angle and small rivulets of blue blood flowed from between her fingers. Tarock struggled, trying to pull her weapon free, then whipped one hand to her belt and the Rend Brace jumped to her wrist. It started to charge with electricity when suddenly Medusa let go of the blade of Tarock's sword and jumped back, while a cluster of snakes stretched out from the side of her head and seized the Rend Brace, pulling it right off, then constricting around the weapon. It creaked, and with a shriek of evil delight from Medusa the Rend Brace shattered into a hundred pieces that Medusa flung into a heap at Tarock's feet.

Well, Tarock was supposed to be intimidated by the destruction of the weapon, was she? She'd show these stupid monsters just what they were up against.

Her had slid to the Royal Core on her belt and she held it there for a second to activate its strongest attack. "**Coronation! Ace of Swords!**" Tarock's belt announced. Skycalibur glowed and then morphed, solidifying again with its hilt changed into a thick gauntlet covering Tarock's hand entirely and fused to the armor on her forearm. The blade was curved with a saw-toothed front and every few seconds small bolts of lightning danced along its length.

"**Ace High! Thunder Cleave!**" The blade erupted with crackling lightning and thunder roared from it. Medusa screeched and fired her beam from her eye as Tarock swung her empowered weapon with all her might, yelling defiantly at the monster as she did. They met in midair and Tarock's sword easily deflected Medusa's beam before cleaving through Medusa's body. Her snakes thrashed spasmodically for a second as electricity arced up and down Medusa's body before she burst into blue smoke.

Meanwhile Lamia turned, swinging her massive serpentine tail at Vaga, catching him hard on the side and knocking him sprawling. He could feel the ground rumbling as she slithered after hi to press her attack and he desperately fumbled for his weapon, his fingers wrapping around it just as he heard Lamia let out a piercing scream before she raised her spear to impale him.

"**Vaga Bowgun!**" he said and his weapon instantly shifted into a crossbow. Vaga jumped up and pressed the tip of his weapon against Lamia's forehead then squeezed the trigger. There was a flash, a roar and Lamia screamed before she was hurled back ten feet with a smoking black scorch mark on her face. Without even getting up she slithered to attack again, moving in a wide but fast arc to keep him from drawing a bead on her with his bowgun. Vaga crouched and jumped for the upper branches of a tree to have a safer place to attack, but Lamia suddenly bunched her tail and sprang after him, tackling him out of the air and sinking her wicked teeth into his shoulder right through his armor.

Somewhere inbetween being tackled by a crazed snake-woman and all ten feet of her crashing down on top of him Vaga's weapon tumbled from his hand. He was barely aware of the blood seeping down his arm from Lamia's bite as her bulk knocked the air from his lungs and he dimly thought he could his spine creak.

Vaga could feel the life draining out of him as Lamia ground her tail back and forth on top of him, grinding him into the dirt. He knew he only had seconds or he was doomed, but he'd become Vaga to show somebody how strong he could be too, and he wasn't out of strength yet.

"**Vaga Punch!**" His fist erupted with light and he slammed it into the side of Lamia's head with all his might. She jerked to one side and tumbled off him, and from a stabbing pain in his shoulder he was sure he'd broken off one of her fangs. Vaga forced himself up on shaky legs and glanced down at his shoulder where a jagged white spike was indeed still embedded. He didn't dare take the time to yank it out, charging up his next attack instead.

"**Vaga Kick!**" Boots blowing now, he charged up to Lamia and executed a scissor kick that connected hard with her chin and knocked her down. Vaga's eyes started to blur from the beating he'd been taking, but he crouched and then jumped as high as he could, aiming himself in a jump kick at Lamia. His foot slammed into her midriff and she shrieked and shook horrifically from her head to the tip of her tail before exploding into blue smoke.

He panted for breath and tugged Lamia's broken tooth from his shoulder. That had been way too tough and taken way too long for him to deal with one monster…hopefully the others conjured up from Lost's puke hadn't had a chance to get the kids while he and Liss were busy with the baddest ones out of the group.

Vaga looked over toward where he'd last remembered the refugees being and saw that Shift Runner and Air Talon had placed themselves between the kids and the rest of the monster pack Lost had inadvertently created, and were flailing at the monsters with hooves and claws to keep them away. One monster, a winged man with two bird-like heads atop his shoulders, suddenly splayed his wings and took to the air. Vaga scooped up his weapon and took aim at the bird, firing off an arrow that pinned one wing to his body. Before Vaga could fire again he heard a booming voice call out.

"**Dire Fate! Strato Kick!**" Tarock came flying down, leg extended and blazing with red power as she crashed into the bird monster with a deadly kick. He exploded into blue smoke and Tarock landed facing the other two Mythos trying to get to the refugees, a witch-faced woman with long iron claws and a hulking yellow Troll with warty skin. Troll grabbed for Tarock with his large powerful hands while the other one hung back and sent a barrage of popping sparks flying at Tarock from her claws.

But Tarock executed a high kick, slamming the heel of her boot into Troll's chin knocking him on his back. The other's shots exploded against her armor but Tarock didn't flinch at all. Instead she raised her curved sword high as her Fate Driver announced, "**Dire Fate! Final Ascend!**" She smashed the blade's tip against the ground and immediately the ground seemed to explode under the pair of Mythos, a giant tornado issuing up and whirling the two of them into the sky where the roaring winds tore at their bodies until seconds later nothing was left.

"God…damn," Vaga mumbled, speechless at seeing even Tarock displaying so much power, sucking that kind of damage and shrugging it right off like she had. Trying not to let the pain of his shoulder would seem too obvious he walked up to Tarock and trying to sound nonchalant, started to say, "Not bad, Liss. I could've-"

All of a sudden he was cut off as Tarock turned and delivered a kick to the side of his head. As a surprised Vaga stumbled backward trying desperately to recover before another attack came, and somewhere in the distance he was sure he could hear Lost screaming…

* * *

><p>The sun was sinking into the valleys of the small town's old buildings when Ven and Donis landed atop one of them to pause their aerial patrol. Most of their day had been spent in another round in Carl Stanford's trailer answering questions about the Sphere. It hadn't been quite as tiring as the first time, but after hours of probing they were still glad for the chance to get away.<p>

"Well, how are you settling in?" Donis asked. "Certainly the locals are welcoming enough…"  
>"Stanford is," Ven corrected him. "Tarock's teacher I'm not so sure. Her sister would be more welcoming if we had any news. All the others…"<p>

"…they keep their distance," Donis finished for her. "I suppose I'm not the only one missing Mazones, just a little?"

Ven shrugged. "Maybe we just need the chance to slay a few more slavering beasts, give them the chance to get to know us the way they know Tarock…" she said, but distantly, as if not believing her own suggestion.

"Makes you wonder, though," Donis murmured. "How much do they really know about her? How open has she been with her own people, never mind ours? I know how her teacher wants his other students to follow her example, but what is her example, really?"

Ven looked over at him, her gazing penetrating Donis even through their masks. "She did spare us when she could've finished us off. Maybe you aren't the only one missing Mazones, Lurian, but you know I'm not the only one who's reminded of Shir."

Donis sighed and looked away suddenly as she mentioned their daughter's name. Their daughter who'd always been willing to throw herself in the middle of the neighborhood children's squabbles. The daughter who'd been taken by the tyrant of Raijan along with countless other hostages. The daughter who hadn't been among those who'd returned when Mazones attacked to rescue them.

"Shir's gone," Donis reminded his wife.

Ven grasped him by the shoulders. "But _we_ aren't," she said with perhaps more force than she'd intended. "Not even the Arcana can bring her back, but maybe we can remember what she was like, pick up the pieces and keep going. And if we can forgive ourselves, maybe we can forgive other people. Like ones who aren't as murderous as we were always told."

"We could always use fewer enemies," Donis admitted. He shrugged and sighed. "I'm sorry, my love. Turning our backs on Mazones just doesn't feel right, after everything I've given the empire…"

His wife tapped him on his armored shoulder. "Did you just call me 'my love'?" she asked, her tone soft and teasing.

"Maybe I did, at that," Donis replied, his voice just as teasing.

* * *

><p>Desperately Vaga raised the Warder and formed a protective screen in front of himself just in time to deflect a swing from Tarock's sword, but then her fist seemed to come out of nowhere and smashed into the side of his head.<p>

He recovered just a second later but Tarock was already on him, sword held high. Vaga swung his weapon struck Tarock in the chest, forming another transparent shield in front it that forced Tarock back a few steps, but he knew he'd only bought himself a second. Air Talon let out a screech and jumped to tackle Tarock while she was off-balance but she slashed her sword and swatted the metal gryphon aside. Vaga gasped in alarm, not just because Air Talon was carrying the supplies he'd banked on for his plan to capture Tarock if he had to.

He tried to dodge around Tarock but with blinding speed she shoulder-checked him to the ground and knocked the Warder out of his trembling hands before he could defend himself with it again. Then she clenched her fingers around his neck.

"This isn't you, Liss," Vaga gasped out. "I don't believe it!"

The lenses of Tarock's mask shifted colors then, the left turning a dark, evil green while the other turned the red of the Lamia's eyes when she'd talked to him before attacking. "Of course not, she's part of me, as everything is in the end," spoke the voice of the White Lady from Tarock's mouth. "I can't understand people…they're so proud of all the power they amass and all the things they construct, but for all that cleverness, you're all so desperate to push aside anything that might prove you aren't as dominant as you think.

"You wanted to believe this girl would love you if you fought at her side, and you so desperately ignored your friend's warning that she'd been corrupted by the essence of my kind. Ignored it and just let it grow stronger, infest her deeper, until it was deep enough for me to assume control.

"Oh yes, I know about that warning you received! That just goes to show how proud of yourselves you are, doesn't it?!" she roared. Then she hurled Vaga against the ground. The left side of her mask cracked and burst open, revealing an inhuman face covered in plates of a black chitin-like armor and a toothless mouth dripping with horrible venom and a prehensile mandible sticking out of one cheek. The eye was the worst, a glistening yellow-green abomination that seemed to be staring right into Vaga's soul. Her left gauntlet burst and revealed a hand of hairy black, clawed fingers.

"You might've even stood a chance of overcoming her if you'd been willing to face an unpleasant truth, human," the White Lady jeered through Liss's mutated body. "Instead, you'll be just another piece of the whole when this world is consumed."

Vaga wheezed as defiantly as he could, "I already said no to that old fart working for you already."

"Ah yes," came the reply. "You would've retained your identity, been greater than death itself and wielded powers far eclipsing those that pathetic stone of yours gives you. But you threw it away, and now your destiny is to be consumed alongside everything else."

All of a sudden Tarock was thrown off her feet by a blast of violet power. Vaga looked up and saw a woman in black, shirt, pants and boots matching her long hair hovering above him. She was beautiful, he supposed, but her face had creases that looked like they came from a lifetime of scowling. She was surrounded by a bubble of pulsating purple light.

"Ah! The mighty Empress Maeve herself graces us with her presence!" Tarock said mockingly. "She who's lived for centuries, and doesn't fear a purge of her people, let alone her kind!"

"It's not Tarock," Vaga choked out. "It's the leader of the Mythos…"

The Empress scowled again. "Tarock's always been a killer, this one's just more honest about her intentions!"

"Believe that if you want, _Empress_," Tarock said with mock civility. "The first Tarock was one of your own, wasn't he? This one is from a world you've never even seen, and so quick you are to call her my slave…which she is, but not by any choice of hers. And don't think you of all people are safe from my touch. You will be mine, your cities will fall and I will fill the void as I always have!"

Another blast of power ripped from Maeve's hand and sent Tarock flying away from where Lost and the refugees were trembling. "Not without the source of your underlings you won't," Maeve said. "And I have a feeling that's the 'lost soul' I've been looking for right there."

"Forget it!" Tarock yelled, but in her own voice. She ran toward the Empress in a stagger as she fought to gain some amount of control, almost dragging the Skycalibur on the ground behind her. She slapped the Royal Core again and her sword flashed with lightning. She swung it at the Empress who casually leveled one hand and released a purple beam that blasted through the power of Tarock's strike and exploded at her booted feet knocking Tarock down amid a shower of sparks and flames. She aimed her hand at Tarock to finish the job.

"_No!_ I won't let you hurt her!" Vaga screamed. "**Vaga Bowgun!**" His weapon changed into again and he fired an arrow as soon as it had solidified. The arrow streaked toward the Empress but when it was mere feet away another figure came out of nowhere and deflected it off the blade of a shining sword. The Empress's rescuer landed and seemed to solidify into a women with a short sword clutched in each hand and a winged helmet covering her entire face. It was Thena, the Empress's envoy.

Suddenly something buzzed in front of the Empress's face, and she swatted it aside with an annoyed wave of her hand. It crashed to earth near Vaga, who gaped in dismay as he recognized the green moth that had been guiding them just before it crumbled into fine crystal dust.

"Enough of this," Empress Maeve sighed and loosed a giant blast of power near Tarock and Vaga, carving a deep fault in the ground. The edges crumbled in on themselves in a powerful rockslide, and Vaga and Tarock tumbled in with the rocks and were buried in a matter of moments.

Ignoring the spectacle of destruction completely, the Empress hovered lower near the group of refugees who'd crowded protectively around Lost's quivering form for what little good it might do her. "Do not fear us," Maeve said in a gentler tone. "You're finally safe."

She waved a hand and a purple bubble surrounded them, then another wave and a bubble surrounded Thena. Then she turned and flew away from the of battle at breathtaking speed, towing the bubbles along behind her.

As they flew away, only Meo saw Vaga shoving his way out of the rockslide and with shaking arms digging Tarock out next to him…

* * *

><p>Ben had to put a lot of effort into not looking at Liss's unconscious face as he tied her arms and legs together with thick rope. Even after she'd changed back from being Tarock the left side of face was still the hideous black chitin of the spider monster that had been growing within her all these weeks, her eye looking more like a lifeless jewel that Ben still swore was watching him.<p>

"God damn it," he almost sobbed. "What now? Even if we could still get to the Sage, how are we supposed to cure Lost when that crazy bitch has her? She's just too strong, even for Liss…if I could even count on Liss anymore…"

Suddenly he could hear a familiar voice echoing inside his mind, "Power takes many forms," it said. "More than just the ability to vanquish one's enemies." Something slipped from his inside pocket and danced back and forth in front of his eyes. One second it was shaped like a scythe, then spun itself into a ring, then a spider's web then a harp, then an obelisk, but they flowed from one form to another so smoothly he hardly noticed the changes taking place. It took Ben a second to recognize a manifestation of the strange Arcanum called Master Segic.

"Well if you've got some god damned healing power to get us out of this, I would've liked you telling me the first damned time!" Ben snapped.

"I serve other powers," said the spear-shape in front of him. "More intricate powers. But I come to you now because the time for my kind to guide this world is soon coming to an end. It is time for the power to be wielded by younger hands, if they are willing."

"You're not going to tell me what the hell you mean until I say yes, are you?" Ben immediately retorted. "You're going to be all mystical and cryptic when all I want is a straight answer."

"You want far more than a straight answer," Master Segic replied evenly. "You want to save Liss Decker, you want to save the one you know as Lost, you want to know you're making an impression on your world. You've wanted that last one even before you knew of having special powers and fighting great battles. Your knowledge of your stake in all this is greater than you may be willing to admit to yourself, certainly more than you were willing to admit when last we met."

Ben clutched his head in his hands. "How do you know so much?" he asked.

"It is the nature of my power to see the connections between everything," Segic explained. "To influence them to a degree. As our time is ending, this power can belong to another, and that other can be you. And that power can lead you to the Inverted Sage. The question is, will you relinquish your humanity to wield it?"

"Is that the only way?"

A long moment of silence passed. "No," Segic finally answered. "But it is the only safe way. The potential to influence the flow will be greater, but no mortal mind was meant to see so much."

"I'm already up to my eyeballs in trouble. You're not scaring me, buddy," Ben said.

"Very well," Segic said the floating shape softly, as if it'd been expecting such an answer. It started to shrink and solidify, and unlike before Ben realized he was noticing the change from one shape to another this time. It assumed a flat rectangular shape and shrank until it was the same size as his transformation card, and in a flash there was an image on it of a golden wheel divided into sections with strange symbols in the center of each. The wheel floated among clouds as demons and angels floated around it in turn.

"Call it…Trosik," Segic's voice said, but it grew fainter with each word.

"Wait!" Ben cried, knowing it was useless. "How do I save Liss with this? How do I save Lost with this?"

"You can save Liss Decker with that power," Segic answered even more faintly. "You can save the one you call Lost with that power. You can save the entire Sphere..."

"_**How?!**_" Ben screamed.

"By looking," Segic replied, his voice almost inaudible. "And by _seeing_."

A second later the voice of Master Segic was gone, Ben standing alone on a cliff with a strange new card in his hand. He looked it over uncertainly, then waved it in front of his bracelet.

"**Change Trosik**!" he said and the card flashed into a stream of blue particles into his bracelet. Then the bracelet flashed and a different suit of armor than he'd worn before. Instead of green it was a dark blue, with a golden disc on the chest engraved with the same strange symbols as on the card. White circuit-like lines traveled out from it on all sides, up and down his arms and legs and over the sides of his mask. The yellow lenses in it seemed to open wider than before.

Again power raced through his body, but it was different from all the times he'd changed into Vaga before; he felt faster, stronger than any ordinary person, but only a fraction of what he'd felt before his old battles. But all of a sudden everything took a blue hue and he could see small white lines—wires, almost—running underneath the surface of the ground, the trees, even Air Talon and Liss.

He concentrated and the wires became more visible, and through them he could see small motes of energy flowing down their lengths. A second later Vaga could even see wires running through the air, energy flowing through them and into the ground, the trees, his companions, even himself. He shut his eyes but still he could see them and his brain started to ache from the overload of seeing the intricacy of all the wiring, all the power and the flow…

As intensely as he could Vaga focused on one thought: finding the Inverted Sage, the only one with the knowledge to get them out of this. Hesitantly he opened his eyes again, and then he felt himself flying along the wiring away from where he stood, across a plain, through two destroyed villages before finally reaching a thick forest. And right in the middle of the forest was an impossibly tall, thick three with layers and layers of wires beneath its bark. Just looking at it Vaga felt as if the complexity of the wiring would drive him insane, but then he could make out the shape of a man, hanging upside down from a rope around his legs from the highest branch.

A minute later Ben, transformed back to normal, looked up at an ordinary sky, with no strange colors and no flow of energy from tiny strands of wire. His brain still felt soft and sore from the onslaught of what all he'd seen, but even now that things were back to normal, he felt reassured: now he was sure he knew where to go.

He hoisted Liss's bound form onto Air Talon then climbed into the seat and the gryphon galloped away. They'd find the Inverted Sage. Then they'd find a way to save Lost.

He hoped.

* * *

><p>Finally Lost's vision started to clear, and she could make out a large rectangular room around her, brightly lit by several large stones embedded in the ceiling. In front of her was a woman dressed in a regal black and gold gown, her hands crackling with bands of purple power. Between her and Lost were a pair of guards in shiny metal armor carrying spears with glowing prongs, but Lost had no doubt from the waves of power she could feel coming off the woman in black that she had no need of their protection.<p>

Bolts jumped from the woman's hand and struck a pair of cone-shaped crystals lodged in the walls on either side of Lost. They crackled and then energy flowed from them and formed a dome of light around Lost.

"Will the preparations be ready on time?" the woman asked one guard.

"They're proceeding as scheduled as of the last report, Empress," she replied.

"Good," she said, then looked over at Lost, a cold glint to her eyes. "Don't worry, child. Your suffering won't last long."

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

(The Empress stands in a large plaza as people assemble a stage)

Empress: The source of the enemy of the people will soon be eradicated!

(Lost languishes in her cell, quivering with fear)

Lost: We were so close…Liss, where are you?

(Ben rides over a bridge of light to the small planetoid in the middle of the Sphere, but is stopped by three flying, brightly-lit objects)

Ben: I can't let anything stop me now!

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	22. Chapter 22: Ashes to Ashes

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Twenty-Two: Ashes to Ashes

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Many battles followed, testing Liss's fortitude but also giving her the chance to gain powerful allies such as some of the Arcana, immortal beings who inspired the Tarot deck, and Ben Corland, her ex-boyfriend who can change into Vaga, a powerful warrior form of his own. However some Arcana automatically consider Liss a menace because the first Tarock was responsible for the death of one of their number.

After her last few battles Liss was able to rescue a girl who knows herself only as Lost, and is the source of the Mythos monsters. While trying to find a reclusive Arcanum who could hopefully provide a way to keep Lost from creating any further monsters, it was revealed that Liss had partly transformed into a monster herself. Worse still, the Empress of Mazones, the one most convinced Tarock means to kill her and all Arcana, tracked Liss down and kidnapped Lost, planning to execute her and end the Mythos menace.

Desperate, Ben decided to take Liss to see the reclusive Arcanum hoping he might know how to cure her. Meanwhile, Liss's influence finds its way to even the most protected corners of the Sphere…

* * *

><p>The news had brought the entire city to a standstill. The Empress had personally slain Tarock herself, and captured from her care a girl who was somehow the source of the Mythos plague? So the word from the palace had said over the past two days. There was even going to be a public execution to let the people know they were safe.<p>

After another listless day helping around her father's garage, a girl named Rexia found herself stumbling home without really wanting to go. There had been a time not all that long ago she'd remembered how to smile and been willing to leave the house and enjoy herself, her father had been saying lately. She did remember times like that, it was true. Shortly after that wounded refugee they'd found in the woods had stayed at their house while she recovered. She'd shown Rexia things that had scared her, challenged her, but let her feel a kind of thrill she hadn't since before the Mythos had returned and people only left the city at their own risk.

As she walked along Rexia passed a group of people her own age but paid no attention to them until one turned and called out, "Rexia? Is that you?"

The boyishly handsome face softened into a brilliant smile as he recognized her, and it was only after a moment that Rexia recognized him in return. He'd grown his lustrous black hair out but it was definitely an old friend of hers named Feden, and behind him was Hulo, and next to him was Shira. "I haven't seen you in forever!" Feden exclaimed. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Not tonight!" he declared. "Didn't you hear? There's this girl who was brought back to Mazones with the one the Empress is saying creates the Mythos. She says she traveled with the new Tarock, she'll tell everyone what really happened."

"That's dangerous talk," Rexia warned him.

Feden glowered at her. "Maybe it's talk Mazones finally needs to hear!" he said. "I was there when that Cyclops attacked…I saw how Tarock could've killed Thena if she'd wanted to. If she's like the Empress says, why wouldn't she?" He and the others turned around to leave.

"Wait!" Rexia said, then jogged after them. Feden smiled and slipped his arm around her shoulders, and for the first time since Liss had forsaken the city, Rexia smiled a little. Had Feden and the others stayed a group even after she'd stopped spending time with them, Rexia asked herself, or had they only come together after this strange meeting had been called by a Tarock witness? How much had she let herself miss out on?

They proceeded further and further from the heart of Mazones toward the fortified wall, with traffic becoming thinner and the buildings around them becoming shabbier. But as they went they joined a procession of other people, many of them around the same age as Rexia and her group but others a few years younger, some of them adults and some of them even leaning on canes as they walked.

Eventually they all stopped at a dead end street, where a small stage had been constructed out of boxes, bricks and sheets of wood. Standing on top of the stage was a teenage girl, her blonde hair tied back but face and bared arms showing a score of cuts and bruises making it clear her time before arriving in Mazones hadn't been an easy one. She waited for everyone who'd come to find a spot and quiet down before she started to speak.

"Thank you all for coming down tonight!" she said. "My name is Meo Ainser, and after my town was wiped out by Mythos monsters I was lucky enough to escape from them and ran into the new Tarock. She wasn't alone, she was with another called Vaga, and they had a girl with them named Lost. We didn't know it at the time, but Lost could create Mythos. She threw up this horrible black stuff and they came to life out of it."

"And you're trying to tell us why we should _trust_ Tarock now?" someone jeered, but Meo looked undaunted.

"They didn't tell us because they were looking for the Inverted Sage to find a cure for her. If they'd had other plans, why did they slow themselves down taking me and my friends along? They kill monsters, they couldn't have killed a couple of kids like us? Tarock and Vaga…I'm sorry, it doesn't feel right to call them that…their names are Liss and Ben. _Liss_ and _Ben_ weren't killers like the Empress wants you all to believe. Ben teased Liss sometimes, and she always made sure Lost was protected, even when she came to save my friends from the monsters. She told me not to let anybody else tell me what I was worth. And when all my friends ganged up on Liss when I told them about how she killed a monster to save them, she was totally overwhelmed. It was cute…

"It's hard to get this across when I'm just telling it to you like this…I'm not much of a speaker. But from what I saw, I just can't believe Liss and Ben are killers like the Empress believes. Somehow…somehow she started to turn into a Mythos monster herself, but I know Liss was fighting it when she tried to keep the Empress from taking Lost away. The Empress tried to bury them both in rocks but I saw Ben dig himself and Liss out with my own eyes as we flew here." Tears started to trickle down her cheeks. "Ben said he didn't believe Liss was really a monster, and if he doesn't, I don't! He even attacked the Empress head-on to protect her!

"I saw Tarock, I talked to her! She was just a normal person like anyone else! She was trying to save someone who was in a horrible position!" Meo collapsed to her knees, quietly sobbing. "Please…don't let the Empress kill Lost," she pleaded. "Liss just wanted to help her…I can't believe anything else!"

Waves of murmuring passed through the crowd. A few people near the front broke away to try and comfort her. For her part, Rexia thought back to her own contact with Liss, the way Liss had encouraged her to think her thoughts and decide her own actions regardless of what authority said, but who had still come to the city's defense when a giant Cyclops attacked it.

But the first Tarock had killed Knight Duric, one of the empire's most loyal protectors. Why would a new Tarock be appointed if the ones in charge of deciding that didn't have the same goals they'd had before? Yet if Feden had told her the truth, and she'd never known him to be a liar before, why would Liss not have taken a convenient opportunity to kill another Arcanum? And if Liss wasn't an evil murderer, didn't it still make sense to hide her secret when she was recovering inside a city ruled by the most powerful Arcana, and the ones most bent on her destruction?

Had she misjudged Liss after all?

Rexia's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a weapon being fired. Screams erupted all over the end of the street and many of the attendees threw themselves to the ground to avoid being hit. Rexia turned toward the sound and saw at least fifteen armored city guards standing there, the one in the lead holding a still crackling electrified trident aimed skyward. It had only been a warning shot to get their attention.

"Disperse and return to your homes," he ordered.

"And why do you care about making us do that?" a grizzled man with a gray mustache challenged. "Afraid of having someone besides the Empress telling us what to think?"

"_Disperse_, and _return to your homes_," the lead guard repeated, but this time there was a slight quaver to his voice.

"Or what?" another man Rexia couldn't see through the crowd sniped.

"This is an _unauthorized-_" the guard started to reply, but was suddenly cut off as a hunk of stone bounced off the side of his helmet with a clang. It sounded trite, but suddenly it seemed as if a dam had broken and people screamed in outrage and pushed through the rest of the crowd to shove the first line of guards to the ground. The guards behind them leveled their weapons and fired, and somewhere through the ringing from the blast of noise Rexia could hear Meo screaming for the violence to stop.

But that was the last thing she heard.

* * *

><p>A swallow of cold coffee jolted Ben awake, more thanks to the bitter taste than anything. Behind him Liss groaned again, the inhuman buzzing behind her voice even worse than before. He was close to panic that her change into a Mythos was speeding up and even if he found the Inverted Sage soon there'd be no way to cure her. But he couldn't let himself believe that. If he did, he'd go insane.<p>

Though it wasn't as if he had no reason to doubt he might be already. He was sure it'd been two days since he'd slept, maybe three. If he dared to before he found a cure for Liss's condition he was sure she'd escape and he'd never find her, and Ben knew he'd never recover from that.

A few hours ago they'd passed through a demolished village, and even in his bleary state Ben had noticed no sign of any bodies. What that could've meant, he tried not to think about.

But that had been miles ago. They were surrounded by trees whose tops reached out of sight now, and as Air Talon paced along Ben kept his weary eyes peeled for the shape of a body suspended from a high branch. When he closed his eyes he could still see the path his new form had shown him, but it was a little fainter each time. He knew what he was looking for was somewhere ahead, but not where exactly, and he was afraid if he tried to transform and see it the strain on his system might knock him out again, which he couldn't risk.

All of a sudden Air Talon stopped and looked around uncertainly. "Oh, what the hell?!" Ben snapped. "Don't try to tell me you're tired!"

"Something's here," Liss said, gasped really. "I can feel it…something powerful."

For a second Ben froze, afraid Liss's awakening meant he was about to be attacked, but instead she leaned against his back with a groan and goosebumps broke out all over his body. "It's a little to the left up ahead. It's got to be the Sage, doesn't it?"

Ben patted Liss on the shoulder, then pulled his hand back in terror when he realized it was on the side that had transformed into a spider-girl already. "Let's hope so," he just said then turned and tried to scan the trees. At first he couldn't see anything, then stopped when he suddenly spotted a dark shape among the trees. Praying it wasn't a monster waiting to ambush them, he turned his mount toward it.

A minute later they reached the base of tree and in the fading light Ben could just make out the outline of a person suspended from a high branch by a rope tied around one ankle. Fishing a pair of binoculars out a saddlebag Ben confirmed it was indeed a human, but his clothes were in tatters, and his long stringy hair reaching downward was almost as gray as his skin. Ben was almost convinced he was dead until his eyes rolled down and met Ben's own through the binoculars.

"I need your help!" Ben called up to the hanging man.

"I know," he croaked in an impossibly dry voice in reply, yet Ben still had no trouble hearing him on the ground. "Your friend is dying, turning into something evil. You need a cure before it's too late."

"How do you know about that?"

"I am called Sage for a reason," the man replied. "But even I do not know of a cure for a sickness such as hers. She suffers from an evil older than any of the Arcana."

"_**Great!**_" Ben screamed in frustration.

"However," the Inverted Sage went on, "there is another, older even than the Arcana, who may have knowledge of such things."

Ben groaned. "And how far away is he?" he demanded.

"Not far," answered the Inverted Sage. "We are not far from the edge of this level of our world…go to the east. When you reach the end, you will find the way onward if your will is strong enough. Do not be blinded by the Sun, the Moon and the Star."

Maybe it was his fatigue-addled mind, but Ben couldn't resist pointing out, "You know, besides that crazy bitch who's the leader of the Mythos, you're like the only person I met since I got here to give me a straight answer."

"Just go," Liss moaned.

The Inverted Sage looked away. "Time is short for all of us," he said. "Time is shortest for your friend. Go, find the knowledge you need…that all of you need, before it's too late."

"What about you?"

"There is no wisdom in running from what's coming," the Sage replied. "Even if I still could."

Ben blinked his sore eyes and nodded, then urged Air Talon to speed off. "Thanks!" he called, then looked over his shoulder at Liss. "It's okay, Liss," he said as reassuringly as he could through his hazy of fatigue. "We're going to find a cure, I promise."

"Thank you," she groaned.

Right at that moment, Ben felt like he could've beaten fifty Mythos.

The Sage watched them go until they'd completely disappeared into the trees, then closed his ancient eyes to await the arrival of those behind them.

* * *

><p>A huge wooden platform was almost complete in the plaza square outside the Empress of Mazones's palace. Black drapes were hung along the back and a stone block placed in the center for the execution of the enemy of the people.<p>

And from the palace Empress Maeve herself gazed down at the preparations being made. "Has the word been spread?" she asked a steward by her side.

"Yes," he replied slowly, then jumped and looked away when the Empress turned and glared at him. "But majesty, there've been reports of rioting near the wall again. Supposedly this one was started by a speech given by a girl who'd been traveling with Tarock…telling the 'true story' of what Tarock is like."

"She was protecting the source of the monsters! What else is there to understand?!" Maeve demanded.

The steward stared intently at his feet. "The fact that six bystanders were killed is one thing…" he said quietly, almost as if he expected to be struck down for his impertinence.

"Soon the source of the enemy will be dead!" Maeve declared. "And everyone will know it wasn't Tarock who saved them! Let them hear _that_ true story!"

The steward just nodded in compliance and stayed silent for his own continued wellbeing. Empress Maeve had been a hard woman at the best of times, but after the Mythos returned and her own people started to talk of Tarock as a more effective champion against them she'd grown even harsher. Even having the end of the Mythos menace at her fingertips didn't seem to be calming her fervor. Maybe cutting off the problem would calm her.

He and the rest of Mazones could hope…

* * *

><p>Hardly an hour later the trees started to thin out around Ben and Liss, and a good thing they had or Air Talon might've walked right off the edge in front of him.<p>

The ground suddenly terminated in a black void around them, and looking in both directions Ben could see it curved that way around the void as far as he could see. Strangely behind him the sky was still the color of the setting sun but at the edge of the dropoff the sky turned solid black. Looking up Ben could even see the edge of another level above him at the point where color and darkness met.

But hovering in the darkness ahead was a small planet, covered in green with patches of gray. Orbiting it were a ball of light, another glowing shape with spikes sticking out in every direction, and a soft white one in the shape of a crescent. Those had to be the Sun, the Star and the Moon.

He hesitated, wondering what he was supposed to do now. The next step was supposed to be obvious if his will was strong enough, right? He was ignoring everything to do this, staking his very life on trying to find a cure for Liss. If the monster side of her reasserted itself, he'd either be her first victim or he'd never be able to catch her again. That was a hell of a burden to carry. If his will wasn't strong, nobody's was.

As he wondered if maybe he was too tired from his desperate ride or something like that, there was a flash of light between the edge of the ground and the small planet. A bridge maybe thirty feet wide, looking almost as if it was made of glass, started to stretch from the edge of the dropoff and form a ramp toward the planet. Ben's exhaustion melted away. Finally, someone who could give him a straight answer, and a straight path to what he was looking for.

Air Talon started to climb the ramp, but slowly, as if he was expecting trouble. Liss moaned in pain again and Ben was about to have him pick up the pace when suddenly he noticed the objects orbiting the planet had frozen in place. They almost seemed to be staring at him.

Then they flew out of orbit straight for where he stood on the ramp.

"Oh shit…!" Ben just had time to cry out before the objects stopped in front of him, then shimmered and changed into humanoid forms. The ball of light, no doubt the Sun, changed into a figure in a suit of dull gold armor with large blue eyes, with a crest on his chest of a solid disc of light that it hurt to look at and clutching what looked like a pistol with a series of three glowing orbs set into the barrel.

The second, the one with spikes jutting in every direction, the Star, changed into a figure clad in red armor with a glowing crest of his energy form on his chest like the first. Yellow eyes were built into his mask and in one hand he swung a huge mace with a flaming ball on the end of the chain.

The third and final had on silver armor with blue eyes in his featureless mask like the first and a softly glowing white crescent on his chest. He clutched a razor-sharp metal crescent in one armored fist.

"Turn back," the three said in the same voice at the same time.

"I _won't_!" Ben retorted. "This woman's dying and the Sage said the only thing that can save her is over there!"

"Since when do you think of me as a woman?" Liss croaked.

"Turn back!" the armored guards replied, more forcefully now. "Death alone awaits invaders!"

Ben raised his transformation guard. "Then I guess I-" he started to say, but was interrupted suddenly as the three guards attacked all at once. Sun fired his gun in a steady burst at them, sending up fountains of super-hot energy that Air Talon barely managed to dodge around. Star sent his flaming mace flying at them and scorched Air Talon's side, getting a painful cry out of the metal gryphon and a sudden painful tingle across the front of Ben's brain. Then Moon clutched the edge of his weapon and threw it like a boomerang. It whistled through the air and Ben finally managed to concentrate hard enough to command Air Talon to retreat as it cleaved through the air where his head had been before whirling back into its owner's hand.

Air Talon didn't stop running until they'd reached the cover of the trees back on solid ground even though Ben had noticed the guardians calling off their attack as soon as they were off the bridge. Tiredly he looked back over his shoulder at Liss, and was sure the dark armor of the spider-monster she was slowly becoming had spread further across her face. He had no time to waste.

Ben rifled through Air Talon's saddlebags until he found a packet of those Wild Cards that Shardak had given him.

It was time to pull out all the stops.

* * *

><p>The planet's sentinels tore themselves from their orbits again as a small speck appeared on the bridge. It was Ben again, staring up at the three of them defiantly as they shifted into their armored forms.<p>

"Look, I just want to save a woman's life!" Ben declared. "I've got plenty of other guys looking for a figh-"

"Turn back!" they thundered in unison. "Death alone awaits invaders!"

"Change…Trosik!" Ben said, a second of uncertainty in his voice before that strange new blue armor wrapped itself around him. As the guardians clearly took this for hostile intent the bizarre circuitry running beneath everything appeared in Vaga's vision once again. The gun in Sun's hand turned white before he fired, and with the senses of his new Trosik form the blazing bullets seemed to come at Vaga in slow motion. A mental signal traveled down the circuitry from Vaga's brain down into his body and out through the environment around him, and his first wave of attack came forth.

A row of five crystalline seahorses floated out of the trees and sprayed jets of water from their mouths, deflecting the shots off the edges of the bridge. Three concentrated on one of Sun's bullets and extinguished it right out of existence. For an instant Sun froze in astonishment and the seahorses turned their water spray on him, knocking him out of the air. The glow on his armor and weapon flickered at the blast he'd just taken.

Moon reared back and threw his boomerang next and Vaga froze. His sense focused in on the energy traveling through the circuitry lacing the air that the boomerang passed through. A small thing Master Segic had told him about these powers, about being able to influence his surroundings. As the boomerang whirled closer and closer to his head Vaga concentrated with all of his might, the golden disc on his chest starting to spin. In Vaga's view the circuitry traveling underneath the boomerang suddenly perked upward for just a second. The boomerang's trajectory wobbled just half an inch to the left and it whistled by Vaga's side without touching him before arcing around and traveling back to its own.

Vaga still collapsed backward onto the bridge with his armor rippling in and out of existence on his arms and legs, even his vision flickering between normal and blue circuitry as his mask flickered. It felt like he'd been hit in the head with a wrecking ball just from the effort of tilting that boomerang. His body quivering, Vaga desperately pulled himself to his feet, wondering how much he'd overestimated himself gambling everything on these powers he'd never used, and feeling cold fingers of fear clawing at his stomach as Star launched his mace. Gambling with his life, but worse, gambling with Liss's life.

Without thinking his view shot along a path of circuits to the clearing where he left Liss to wait while he cleared the way. She struggled feebly against her ropes, tempting Vaga to wonder what sorts of terrible things might be taking place in mind.

* * *

><p>Liss had no idea where she was. First her surrounding seemed to be a sickening yellow in color, then an alarming red, to a purple that somehow calmed her and made her eyes hurt at the same time. She was up to her ankles in foul-smelling water that flowed in from somewhere behind her, even after she turned around to try to see where it was coming from.<p>

Her arm and her cheek itched fiercely but she didn't spare a thought to that. Buzzing at the back of mind was one word, over and over: Lost. Somewhere she was caught and in trouble, and probably in worse trouble thanks to being seen with Liss. She knew that Lost would be in that city on the top of the Sphere, the one where the Empress lived and Liss had hidden out while she was healing from her first couple of battles. Yet somehow…somehow Liss was convinced Lost couldn't be far away from where she stood in this strange, menacing place with the nauseating colors.

"LOST!" Liss cried out. Her voice echoed for forever without a reply, but no answer came. Then suddenly there was a flare of light that forced Liss to look away. When she could look back she saw a crouched, coughing figure in a ragged black robe. Liss ran in their direction but after only a few steps her feet became stuck in whatever was underneath the rank water lapping at her ankles.

"Lost, is that you?" Liss exclaimed, and the figure looked up. She met Liss's eyes and for a second looked unwilling to believe what she was seeing. But that tired face could only belong to Lost herself.

"Liss?" she croaked. "Is that really you? How did you get here? I thought I was in that palace a minute ago…" Lost tried to push herself up but was stuck fast too.

There was another flare of blinding light and standing in between them was the White Lady herself, seeming to radiate light from her skin and clothes which seemed wrong for the driving force behind something as evil as the Mythos. "You never left," she said to Lost, then turned to Liss. "And you haven't escaped the ropes that pitiful friends of yours put you in. If you'd let the monster in you loose, though…"

"I don't need anything _you're_ offering," Liss snapped.

The White Lady didn't look the least bit intimidated by Liss's threatening tone. "It doesn't matter, human. The darkness has been inside you for weeks, spreading and growing stronger. You can try to resist it all you like, but I command that darkness, and I know it's all you can do to keep from bursting through those pathetic ropes, let alone actually try to help your friend in his fight. Soon you won't even be able to manage that."

"You bitch-" Liss fired back, but again the White Lady was unmoved.

"In the end, all is destroyed, all is converted," she said. "It's simply the way of things. I can't understand this fixation of your kind that everything remain exactly the way it is for eternity. The Arcana are the worst…although I suppose they'd have to be."

"When I get over there I'll rip your-" Liss said but again the White Lady shrugged her off.

"You're only proving my point, _human_," she retorted. "You're not going to save your," she paused, and chuckled, "_friend_ over here, as hard as you fight. You think that was confidence in your headwhen you killed the Medusa? _I_ put those thoughts in your frail little mind, girl. My control's so total you don't even know I'm using it unless I tell you! Fight it, girl! Keep saying to yourself you're so strong you can handle being Tarock, the hero of two worlds! I'll win in the end, I always do!"

She pointed one long dainty finger with an impossibly sharp nail at Liss's face. Liss felt herself shrinking suddenly and a second later the White Lady seemed to tower over her. She'd been turned into a little girl, and tears of fear started to well in her young eyes.

"This is how your power compares to mine, Tarock," the White Lady said, then the ground under Liss opened and swallowed her completely.

"And you…," the White Lady turned to face Lost's cowering form, her impossibly pale face forming a smile. "Why are you so afraid of me? We're practically sisters, after all."

* * *

><p>Vaga had seen Star's mace coming an hour before it got near him and ducked under it easily. Star whirled his weapon and let it fly at Vaga again when another command brought another wave of reinforcements.<p>

A procession of crystal turtles walked into view but suddenly pulled themselves into their shells and came bouncing along the bridge. One slammed into Star's chest and knocked him off-balance, then two more followed and knocked him flat on his back. More of the turtles crashed into him again and rolled him toward the edge of the bridge.

But those were the last of the turtle Wild Cards he had, and before Vaga could press the attack and knock one of his opponents out of the fight, Moon flung his boomerang at Vaga again. His heightened senses locked onto it immediately, everything seeming to slow down to an impossible pace. But as it did Vaga had to fight the urge to squeeze his eyes shut and curl up into a ball.

The effort to deflect that boomerang the first time had been even worse than when he'd used his new powers to find the Inverted Sage. Just seeing those weird circuits connecting everything was exhausting his mind in a terrible hurry and he wasn't getting rid of the guardians as fast as he needed.

Another command and another wave of Wild Cards joined the fray, a swarm of long-horned beetles flying out from behind Vaga and intercepting Moon's boomerang in mid-air. The weapon continued to push forward while the crystal beetles pushed back with all their might with the tips of their horns, one beetle near the middle of the group exploding into shards with a shriek. But with one last shove the boomerang was forced backward and started an arc back toward its owner. Vaga sent another mental command, and desperately concentrated on Moon with all of his flagging strength.

As Moon reached out to catch his boomerang the chain of Star's mace suddenly sprang up and tangled around his boot, sending him stumbling for just a second, but in that second his weapon whooshed past him without being caught. Then a small gang of glistening snake Wild Cards, rolling like wheels with the tips of their tails clutched in their teeth. They uncurled and sprang forward, going flying at Moon. As they landed on him they bit into each other's tails, forming a crystalline chain pinning his arms and legs.

But even as Moon went down Sun rose to his feet, his crest and gun seeming to glow even brighter than before. As Vaga tried to focus what energy he had left into getting Star to slip off the bridge, Sun took aim and fired at him. The seahorse Wild Cards swarmed forward and sprayed water to intercept Sun's shot, but in flight it suddenly doubled in size crashed right through the seahorses' line, smashing three of them into dust. It exploded against Vaga's chest and hurled him to the ground where his armor flashed away leaving a battered Ben Corland.

"Death awaits all invaders!" Sun repeated and took aim. His pistol roared and a blazing ball of light shot forward to end Ben's life.

"**Calamity! Aqua Burst!**" called an artificial but familiar voice. A huge blast of water shot out from behind Ben and extinguished Sun's bullet. Before he fired again Tarock suddenly came flying into sight, clad in her yellow Cups armor with the mask shattered on one side exposing the monstrous part of her face, and with a roar she kicked him aside.

Star threw his mace at Tarock but she held her hand against the Royal Core on her belt and it announced, "**Coronation! Ace of Cups!**" Her gauntlet shimmered and changed into a rectangular cannon barrel with golden horses engraved on the sides. "**Ace High! Crash Tide!**" her belt said next and a stream of water that formed into a tidal wave rushed from the barrel of her weapon. The wave and Star's burning mace slammed into each other sending up a huge hissing cloud of steam but Star was blasted off his feet and rolled over and over across the bridge as the wave struck him.

Tarock groaned and keeled over, spent, her armor fading away. She muttered painfully to herself, "I'm not weak, I'm not weak, I'm not weak…"

Sun was back on his feet and aimed his pistol at the pair of intruders. His armored finger tightened around the trigger, but all of a sudden, the bridge shook.

"STOP!" a powerful voice called out. Sun, Star and Moon didn't turn to look at the source, but Ben and Liss stared as a stooped figure in a black robe leaning on an iron staff with a lantern hanging from the top appeared on the far end of the bridge. For a second it almost looked like Lost until he looked up and exposed a wrinkled face decorated with a long white beard. "These two are given audience," the old man said. "Their aggression is born of desperation, not malice. Return to your posts."

With a moment of what Ben assumed was hesitation the guardians changed back to their original forms and resumed their orbits around the planet. The lantern on the old man's staff swung crazily every time he banged it on the ground, catching Ben and Liss right in the eyes more than once. When he got to where they lay he gently asked, "Can you two walk? I'm afraid I'm not the pillar of strength I once was."

"Look, buddy," Ben groaned, "Is this it? When we get over there, do we meet another being of ancient wisdom or whatever who points us to another being of ancient wisdom, or is there actually somebody over there who can tell us how to cure Liss and Lost?"

The old man arched an eyebrow at what Ben had just said, and offered his staff to let Ben grab onto and haul himself to his feet. "There's no one older than who you're about to meet. And when you do, I think you'll see why."

* * *

><p>Just as suddenly as thing had gone black and silent at the meeting, Rexia found herself standing in a completely unexpected place.<p>

She was on top of a grassy hill overlooking a plain that ran toward the distance before running up against a wall of tall cliffs composed of a strange purple stone that she for some reason was somehow soothing to look at. A small silvery stream tumbled from the top of the cliffs down to the ground and rushed past the hill where she stood.

But the strangest thing of all was the small round wood table next to her with a porcelain tea service set in the middle which a skeleton in a blue suit had already helped themselves too, sipping from a small cup with one skinless hand and holding the saucer for it in the other.

"Master Mortis?" she asked.

"That's the name your people have given me, yes," the skeleton replied in a smooth voice with no gender inflection Rexia could place. "It is one of countless names I've been given." He turned and his eyeless sockets met her gaze, and Rexia expected her skin to crawl but instead she felt nothing but calm. "You're one of the most indecisive souls I've noticed in quite some time, even with a war on," he observed.

Rexia clutched her head, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The last thing she remembered was being at that demonstration where the girl who'd traveled with Liss had been speaking out against the version of what Liss was like that the Empress put forth. Guards had shown up to break it up, then she'd found herself here, talking to Master Mortis, the Arcanum who'd only ever appeared to claim the lives of immortals. Which she wasn't. What was going on?

"Which brings me to why you've been called to discuss your fate," said Master Mortis. "At the time of your passing you were…deeply conflicted about someone you'd once considered a close friend, and were unsure if her intentions were as despicable as you'd been led to think. Exactly the sort of death that lends itself so well to the birth of a restless spirit, and your people have problems enough these days, I'm sure you'd agree.

"Therefore," Master Mortis went on, "since your case has caught my eye, as they do from time to time, I would be willing to offer a period of grace."

"A _what_?!" Rexia exclaimed in bewilderment. "Master, the Mythos are stronger than ever! Won't you help fight for your own people?"

The skeleton set down his cup and saucer on the table. "I am not one of the Arcana," he said, calmly and businesslike. "I represent nothing but the agency that gathers the essences of the dead and assigns them accordingly. It is rare in the extreme to even have a discussion with a single member of the departed such as we are now, to say nothing of an exemption being offered."

"Exemption?" Rexia asked cautiously. "What kind of exemption?"

"An offer to return," Master Mortis replied, but stressed, "_Temporarily_. To meet Tarock again, form your own conclusions as to her character. And to survive your journey, the power to protect yourself.

"As well," he added, "she likely does not know it yet, but the scourge Tarock is involved with battling twists the way of things. Lays claim to the souls of its victims to feed its own growth. Extensions could be offered if this could be curtailed."

"Oh," Rexia said. "So the reason you're willing to send me back is to get rid of competition for your little business?"

Master Mortis countered, "Is rest for the departed something only offered to those who can afford it? Taking a life is a terrible and cruel thing, but is taking a soul not more cruel still? Besides the chance to satisfy your uncertainty about Tarock, this is a chance to do good for so many others. Will you turn away from it?"

Rexia looked at the skeleton who looked back at her as he awaited her answer, his skinless face showing only the grin of death which somehow seemed impassive all the same.

She broke the silence: "No, I won't. What do I have to do?"

**End Book 3**

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

(Ben, Liss and the old man descend into a cave and are met by a blinding light)

Liss: This is it? This is where it all came from?

(Insubstantial images circle around them; four ancient warriors each holding a glowing object skyward, Tarock in Swords Form fighting a towering knight in gray armor next to a ruined chariot; a scholar and a king locked in discussion)

Ben: If we can find a cure, I don't care about anything else.

(A giant monster erupts from the bottom of the cave and Tarock and Vaga prepare to fight)

White Lady: The Arcana are already falling. After them, the humans and then the next world will follow…

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	23. (Book 4:Base of the Matter) Dust to Dust

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Book Four: Base of the Matter

Reading Twenty-Three: Dust to Dust

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Many battles followed, testing Liss's fortitude but also giving her the chance to gain powerful allies such as some of the Arcana, immortal beings who inspired the Tarot deck, and Ben Corland, her ex-boyfriend who can change into Vaga, a powerful warrior form of his own. However some Arcana automatically consider Liss a menace because the first Tarock was responsible for the death of one of their number.

After her last few battles Liss was able to rescue a girl who knows herself only as Lost, and is the source of the Mythos monsters. While trying to find a reclusive Arcanum who could hopefully provide a way to keep Lost from creating any further monsters, it was revealed that Liss had partly transformed into a monster herself. Worse still, the Empress of Mazones, the one most convinced Tarock means to kill her and all Arcana, tracked Liss down and kidnapped Lost, planning to execute her and end the Mythos danger.

Desperately seeking a cure for Liss's condition, Ben traveled to a small planet in the center of the Sphere and battled its guardians before being admitted by the being they protect. Now Ben proceeds to finally cure Liss, and then hopefully save the Sphere before it's too late…

* * *

><p>Ben wondered if everything that had been happening was part of some lucid nightmare he was having, and part of him hoped it was and that he'd wake up safe and sound in bed, while a deeper, stronger part hoped it wasn't.<p>

The bridge they were on led straight from the edge of the level of the Sphere they'd left behind right up to the middle of the rounded edge of the small planet floating in its center. As the old man who was leading the way reached the end of the bridge and took his first step onto the planet, gravity seemed to reorient itself and he started walking up the side.

Wearily Ben looked behind himself before following, at the land he's left behind and how he could see another level just like it above, and another above that, and the tip of another above even that one. In all of them he could see the dark yellow sky indicating day fading into night on the Sphere, but exactly where the ground terminated it hazed into a solid blackness. He wondered for a minute what happened to someone who wasn't strong-willed enough to call a bridge if they went off the edge, then decided he was too busy to appreciate the view and just followed the old man while Air Talon followed faithfully behind Ben, carrying a nearly comatose Liss on his metal back.

After just a few minutes of following the old man through the trees, Ben noticed how impossibly green and vibrant they all looked. He wasn't so sheltered that he'd never seen an actual forest before, but this one seemed so amazingly _alive_ compared to his hometown and the desolate villages they'd passed through on their way here.

It sounded cheesy even in his head but the birds chirping to each other overhead sounded happy to be alive, and the berries on a bush beside the narrow trail were such a succulent-looking shade of red-purple Ben couldn't help tossing a bunch into his mouth and biting down on them as fast as he could. With every step he felt stronger, the strain of his ordeals farther away. As if the life of the forest was flowing into him and healing his wounds, mental and physical. Ben looked back at Liss, her beautiful face marred by the spread of black insect armor spread across it, and he knew, he _knew_ they'd find a cure here.

"Hey," Ben spoke up then. "What am I supposed to call you?"

"My name no longer has any meaning," the old man answered without turning around.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

The old man still didn't turn around as he led the way along the forest trail. "It means," he said, "that everything I had ties to is gone. This is where I live, and there's no-one to tell me apart from here. Why do I need a name any longer?"

"So how about at least 'Hermit'?" Ben suggested.

"If that pleases you," the old man replied and kept walking. Ben smiled a little and grabbed a piece of yellow fruit he couldn't identify and took a bite. He looked back at Liss after a pained groan escaped her, and offered her a fruit but she only groaned again.

As Ben followed Hermit the feeling of the forest being alive changed. He was sure that everything was watching them, and a rush of fear traveled up his spine as he saw trees actually leaning away from the path to make room for them. "Don't fear," Hermit said, still not turning around. "If you were unwelcome the sentinels would've stopped you."

"I almost got them," Ben muttered.

After another minute the trail led down into an opening in the ground. Air Talon whipped around anxiously as the trees closed again behind them, snapping his metal beak at a few of the branches. "Easy, big guy," Ben said. "We're kind of committed now." He cast another look at Liss, whose human eye opened and in it Ben saw a gently questioning look. "Hang on just a little bit longer," he said, a faint edge of desperation creeping into his voice even with how strong he was feeling despite everything they'd just been through. "We'll have what we need to know real soon."

"Okay," Liss said tiredly and shut her eye again. Ben patted her on her human shoulder and hurried after Hermit.

They descended into the tunnel where the way was lit by Ora Stones of countless colors lodged in the walls, glowing softly to light the way but the array of colors made Ben squint and hope he didn't have to spend long down there.

After a minute they reached a dead end and Hermit held out his arm to the side to stop them from going any farther. "You know there's nowhere else to go, right?" Ben pointed out.

"For the moment," Hermit replied. As he said that the walls shook, showering dust on them and dropping a few stones from the walls, their light going out as they struck the floor. But as they did another expanse of tunnel opened in front of them while the wall behind them slid together and stopped just behind Air Talon. "Our host needs to ensure no trespassers enter," Hermit explained.

"Thought you said those guys would keep any real trouble out," Ben replied.

"Don't get smart, boy," Hermit replied gravely. "No chances must be taken with what's down here."

As the rumbling continued and another passage opened, Ben leaned down and whispered into Liss's ear, "Why did you come save me back there?"

"Hnnngh?" was all she could manage, the insect-like buzz at the back of her voice worse than ever. Ben pulled back, disappointed but not surprised.

For what felt like most of an hour they trudged through tunnels as they opened ahead and closed behind. Part of Ben wondered if this was part of some elaborate trap, to lure them around in circles until he lost his mind or Liss finished her transformation into a monster and drank his blood.

But after ages the wall ahead of them cracked open, and Ben saw something that made him sink to his knees in awe.

* * *

><p>The sentries stared uncomfortably out onto the barren fields beyond Avalon's walls that had once housed their people and grown their crops. The relentless attacks of the beasts that had battered everything into the dust had stopped for the third day in a row now. Sentos, the watchtower that transformed into a stone giant protect the city from dire threat, had so many dents in its length it seemed impossible it didn't just topple over. One bystander who'd had a few too many bet his friends he could blow the tower over the night before. He found himself unable to sit down and out a sporty pair of pants after a pair of guards spotted him and showed him what they thought of his sense of humor.<p>

There were some among the city guard who hoped Tarock had destroyed the Mythos once and for all, like the last time, and soon the Emperor would give the word for the rebuilding to begin. Others were less optimistic, warning that an attack worse than any they'd seen yet was coming as soon as they dropped their guard.

One of the second was Uthar, newly-promoted Captain of the Guard. A young man who had yet to even count his twentieth year, and whose posting had some whispering that the Emperor was getting weak, showing favoritism to someone so green while they faced such a trying crisis as the constant Mythos attacks on their city.

But Uthar refused to hear any of it spoken in his presence. Emperor Solymen was the fairest and bravest of rulers even before emigrating to the Sphere and becoming an immortal. Solymen had guided them through the first Mythos invasion and he would guide them through this one, Uthar made it perfectly clear to any dissenters he found in the ranks. As soon as he was gone, more than a few of those dissenters were only too happy to remind each other that it was the first Tarock, defying any orders from the Arcana, who actually ended the first Mythos invasion…

Wiping the sweat from a warm evening off his dark face, Uthar passed through row after row of tired guards framing doorways as he made his way through the palace. Despite all the energy Uthar put into defending him, he was more than a little rattled that a war council was meant to have taken place half an hour ago that the Emperor had never shown up for. He was fairly sure he knew where to find his ruler: in the palace gardens were he seemed to spend more and more of his time in contemplation.

As seriously as Uthar was taking his new command, he wasn't terribly fond of how it seemed making sure the Emperor kept his appointments was another of the captain's responsibilities…

The primary light in the gardens was a soft blue glow coming from the stones in lanterns lining the paths that the Emperor had chosen for a certain ambience. With a sigh Uthar started his usual circuit around the edges and then the small network of interior paths through the thick trees from all over the Sphere. After a minute he sighed again, but at the soft blue light dancing off the edges of leaves and flowers around him. It certainly was soothing; perhaps it was little wonder the Emperor spent so much time here with all the dangers threatening his people.

Suddenly there was a flash of blinding red light through the trees and Uthar dashed over. In the middle of one of the more secluded paths he saw the Emperor holding an Ora Stone in his hands that burned with a harsh crimson light. But he wasn't alone. In front of him was the Arcanum known as Jack, who held a rectangular object Uthar could barely make out in the fading light.

"Are you sure this is the wisest thing to do, old friend?" Jack asked. "Diminishing our numbers even further as the danger grows?"

Solymen sighed but smiled faintly, his face seeming more wrinkled and tired than Uthar ever remembered seeing him. "I remember some of the tales they came up with about me…about how I'll return and lead the people back to greatness sometime when things are at their darkest, but…things are already at their darkest, and I'm simply not cut out for this any longer. I seem to recall I'm not the only one here who once raised a sword in the name of truth and justice. Who hasn't for centuries."

"I found other uses for my life…I became someone else," Jack said, a little defensively.

"I am not allowed to also become someone else?" Solymen replied. "And let us face facts, we may have fought and killed the largest number of Mythos before but it was Tarock who sought out the source and dealt with it. And I know you and Shardak were trying to steer that girl into inspiring the people. It worked, I'd think, whether she meant to do it or not.

"But the point is if Shardak's dead then surely they plan to come for the rest of us, and the last service I can do my people is to give this power to someone who has the strength to use it."

Jack held out the object in his hand. "Have someone in mind, do you?"

"Yes, and I imagine he's closer than we think. Always got the job on his mind, that one," the Emperor answered with a wan smile.

"But what will you do?" Jack asked quietly, seeming to accept the Emperor's decision but worried still over what might come next.

"Oh," the Emperor said distantly, looking up at the night sky. "Go somewhere I won't be in the way. Maybe see how many of them I can take with me before I go."

"And you expect the people to keep fighting hard knowing their leader's gone?" Jack asked gravely.

"Listen to you!" Emperor Solymen said. "Before this you wanted the common people to fight for themselves. Now that it's working and I'm trying appoint a successor, you think I'm going too far!" He sighed and took the object in Jack's hand. "I always thought immortality meant eternity…but I suppose time even changes immortals."

Uthar had heard enough. He slipped away out of the gardens as silently as he could.

* * *

><p>The trip through the weird shifting tunnels had led them here. To a vast chamber with large Ora Stones nestled in the walls, glowing brighter than any in the tunnels on the way in.<p>

But in the middle of it all was a huge white Ora Stone lodged in the far wall, nearly thirty-five feet from bottom to top. Glowing veins flowed from this giant crystal to the ones around it, and tiny motes of colored light flowed into the largest crystal from those around it, a cloud of red circling blue and rushing out of the expanse of white light before purple flew in next and passed through a mass of yellow particles. Waves of insubstantial vitality emanated from this enormous crystal that Ben could feel penetrating every inch of his body. A little like when they'd been attacked by the Empress, but there he felt power, angry and looking for a target. Here he felt _life_, healing and inviting, even stronger than he had in the forest above.

But a second later he felt something else. It wasn't a word, more of a tangible feeling in his mind. A feeling of _welcome_. Of _hope_ at their arrival. It was emanating from the giant crystal, it could only be.

The crystal was alive.

The crystal was the being of ancient wisdom with the cure for Liss and Lost they were sent to find.

"Here they are, old friend," Hermit said

Ben was suddenly aware of someone lurching past him. It was Liss, holding out one arm and giving off a hideous insect-like buzz. She took a few stumbling steps and then collapsed on the rough rocky floor, moaning and buzzing both at the same time. As she did Ben could see an ocean of horrible black, bubbling liquid like Mythos slime lapping and grabbing at a hazy gray object, and he knew what he was seeing was in his mind, and it was the Mythos taint in Liss's body trying to engulf her mind, her soul, even.

Unconsciously he reached out to try and help, but Hermit lightly knocked his hand away with the tip of the iron staff. "You've done all you can by getting her here," he said. "Now it's time for her to heal. It won't be easy, but she will recover."

"What the hell does that mean?" Ben demanded, but his answer didn't come from Hermit, who was already disappearing into a shadowy fissure. Liss cried out, part human scream and part monstrous roar. Droplets of black goo fell from the fingers of her transformed hand, forced itself from under her skin and ran down her long dark hair to puddle on the floor. Her body contorted before she cried out in pain, followed by an animalistic bellow of anger.

In Ben's mind he could see the dark tide lapping at the grayness of Liss's being, but it was slowly shrinking back, the waves smaller and weaker. But as they weakened his ears echoed with screams of pain, screams of fear. He clutched at his ears trying to block the sounds out, even though he knew they were coming from some connection between their minds.

But a warm feeling flowed into them and Ben didn't see the black tides anymore. Instead he didn't see anything but a sort of rippling white expanse in front of him. He could smell flowers and felt like he was lying in silk sheets. With a bit of a start he realized he could feel Liss nearby, as if she was lying beside him under those silk sheets, and he smiled.

But as he focused on the feeling of her beside him he felt an image in Liss's mind, something familiar to her but not him. Something she was clinging to for courage as the essence of the Mythos was painfully forced to separate from her. Allowing himself a flash of hope Ben focused on that image and froze when he saw an image of a confident woman, a few years older than Liss, hair shorter and skin a few shades darker. She wore dirty coveralls and was bending over a little to pat an image of Liss supportively on the shoulders. It had to be her older sister, the one Liss admired so much. The one that she was so devoted to, she only became a delinquent after her sister was kicked out of the family.

That was who she was thinking of for strength as she was being torn apart by pain Ben barely dared to imagine. He sighed a little in frustration at all the danger he'd entered to fight by her side and that was still who she thought of, then hoped she didn't hear or notice what he was thinking. Then all at once Ben felt a third presence, and was so shocked he almost broke from the mental link.

It was the power of the crystal, and there was a unmistakable timidity to it for all the power it obviously held with opening and closing tunnels for them with such precision and the life the world around it radiated. The power seemed to Ben so ancient yet so great, so…primeval.

The feeling of the crystal's presence in Ben's mind seemed to become warmer and friendlier as he thought of that word he'd heard once in some English class. The crystal was welcoming the name, he realized: Primeval. Isolated, it had never needed a name, but circumstances were different now. Now the rest of the Sphere was in terrible danger, and its help was needed. Those who'd come needed something to call it to ask for its help…

A new sensation crept into Ben's mind. It took him a second to recognize a slightly timid form of gratitude. He saw himself fighting the Golden Wolf Mythos, the couple other monsters he'd beaten to keep them from getting to Avalon. He saw Liss in her Cups Form fighting a giant Cyclops, and even fighting a giant bull while that girl Liss had saved while he'd had to stay behind and guard Lost looked on.

"You're welcome…?" Ben said, a little too overwhelmed to think of anything else.

* * *

><p>At first, Liss had resisted when she felt another mind making its way into her own. She'd been fighting the growing presence of the Mythos inside her with every ounce of willpower she had ever since learning it was there, and she'd been terrified at what might happen if another supernatural power got its claws into her.<p>

But now, she was too tired to worry about motivations. Liss knew that she was really lying on the floor of the cave, twisting and crying out in pain as the poison in her body was forced out, but in her mind she felt only peace. A gentle urging from this strange creature, Primeval, assured her that as scared as she'd been at what was happening, it would be all right soon. All she had to do was relax and let the darkness leave her.

As that urging was made something else rolled into her mind, a gentle offer. She could see an image that looked like herself in her Tarock armor, but a mixture of the colors of her different armor: green mask, red chest, blue boots with yellow leg armor and gauntlets. Primeval was offering to make her this, merge her powers into one, she realized. But there was a feeling it was trying to convey without quite understanding how, a permanence Liss realized after a second. If it did this for her she would have to be like all the time. She would be an Arcanum.

But even as she rolled back and forth in pain as she was purged of the Mythos inside her, Liss pushed the offer away. She was Liss Decker, not some immortal creature of alien powers. If she accepted that, she wouldn't be Liss Decker anymore, she'd just be Tarock. And what if she ended up like the Empress, some crazy isolationist who was bent on killing people who were killing her own enemies? Maybe Liss wasn't the poster girl for a well-behaved teenager, but she didn't kill indiscriminately.

Primeval's power reached out and touched her mind again, and she felt an offer to show her and Ben something to distract her from problems as she healed. Tiredly, Liss agreed. Anything to keep her mind off the thought of what was really happening to her body…

There was a rush like wind, and suddenly it felt as if there were no boundaries between their three minds. They were one, seeing all that happened with one set of eyes, one set of perceptions, even though they were with senses Liss and Ben had never imagined before…

The view in their minds changed from the soft, gently rippling white to pure black. Then after a second, a point of light came flying into view. It was a bright white crystal with numerous smaller crystals of every color they could think of orbiting it in breathtaking streams, one inside another and never touching.

The crystal mass flew through space past numerous worlds, pausing by some to observe before resuming its journey. After a while it slowed as it came across something that wasn't a world. Something that was hardly a something at all.

It was a vast, formless mass of darkness, seething and reshaping itself every minute, stretching itself thin as it probed the stars in search of sustenance. The worlds around it were brown and barren, stripped of all life and energy by this cosmic disease. But it was ravenous, finding only slender pickings on its last few hunts, and it spotted the crystals, so bright and vital, and reached out for them. Without thought or mercy it smashed a huge hunk free, absorbing it and seeming to scream with delight at encountering such a source of life.

For the first time, icy terror wracked every fiber of their being. With all speed they fled into the void with the monstrous thing pursuing, flying past countless worlds, all sense of time slipping away as the chase wore on.

But eventually the dark creature tired, its meager hunts catching up to it. They left it behind, relief washing over them. But though it was the first time they'd faced such danger, they knew it would likely not be the last. Their knowledge of battle was nonexistent, however. Other measures would need to be taken in case it found them again…

A wild thought occurred, but one that might hide them and at the same time, shelter others.

And so they flew on, sending out chains of crystals into the crust of worlds as they passed, pulling massive chunks of those world free and sometimes taking people and creatures whose lives were near extinction along with them. Carefully they shaped the appropriated matter into huge rings with plains, oceans, mountains, valleys. Formed these rings into massive layers atop one another, and then formed pieces of their own mass into shafts of crystal piercing the layers that allowed travel between them, a shell to hold all everything in place. Finally, they shaped the last of the stone and dirt into a small world around themselves at the center of it all to hide from sight. The Sphere was born.

But they surveyed the people outside struggling to survive the cold nights in the wild world that was their new home. Unknowing of mortal creatures, they extended their senses as far as they could, and found another world, brutal and warlike, but with civilization and seasoned warriors both.

After careful deliberation they shed small pieces of their being, infused with their power, and sent them to this other world to remarkable individuals who could guide the survivors from the other worlds. There was a powerful king, his advisor possessed of vast arcane knowledge, a stern woman who was the true power behind her addlepated husband's house, the strongest and most devoted of the warriors at that woman's command, a callow youth who'd vowed to make any journey and pay any price in pursuit of knowledge...

The charged crystals changed their recipients, gave them powers and lifespans far beyond anything they'd imagined. These individuals came to the new world, helped centralize the lost souls there, and the Arcana were born. Cities were built and as eons passed empires were raised at the top and bottom of the Sphere, ruled by the immortals they had created. Powers drained by their efforts, Primeval allowed themselves to rest and observe.

Then it finally happened. One day centuries later the dark creature, much smaller and less threatening than in their first meeting, crashed into a middle layer of their new world and devoured everything it touched, forests and towns being consumed as it spread forward like a black wave. But it could sense the prey it had followed across the void nearby, and was determined not to let it slip away again.

To search this new world, the dark creature split its essence into smaller, monstrous creatures who nonetheless proved to have deadly powers of their own as they attacked towns trying to force people to lead them to what they sought. And so the Mythos came to be.

But the immortals recognized this danger and fought back. One, the king's advisor, even courted scandal by devising a way for mortal warriors to wield power the likes of the immortals themselves commanded. Four tokens of power made from Ora Stones were changed into cards that could allow their users to wield powers to rival an Arcanum's. He'd intended there to be a champion wielding each, but after a devastating surprise attack, only one survivor remained and carried the mantles meant for his allies.

They watched as furious battles followed all over their world, between the monsters and the immortals, the harried soldiers of the mortal armies, and the empowered mortal champion who came to be known as Tarock. The struggles played out in seconds relative to the observers, but as they watched towns were razed, forests burnt to the ground and lakes dried up by the fighting.

But as these battles raged one involving Tarock caught their eye. Clad in his green Pentacles armor he battled an armored knight on an imposing chariot. The knight was the servant to the woman who'd become Empress Maeve, but as Tarock knocked him from his chariot with a powerful flying kick his armor cracked open. Underneath his body was covered in brown scales, and within instants his armor had shattered completely until his true self was revealed: a horned, four-legged dragon-like creature. They battled back and forth for hours until Tarock finally sealed his opponent's doom with a smash from the Gran Crusher.

The Arcanum Tarock was vilified for killing had become a Mythos. Become part of that horrendous thing that'd chased them across the stars. That was why he'd done it.

And they were probably the only ones who knew.

* * *

><p>A huge shape slithered through the forest crushing trees like toothpicks and leaving a slime-covered furrow in the ground as it went. Soon it reached the edge of the level, the sky fading into dark space. It paid no attention to anything but what was right in front of it.<br>Tendrils waving angrily around its head it spied its target: the small world spinning in the center of the Sphere. Spotting danger the three glowing shapes orbiting it froze and immediately flew toward the massive intruder, assuming their armored forms and brandishing their weapons, the evil billowing off the creature nearly overwhelming their limited senses.

"DEATH ALONE AWAITS INTRUDERS!" Sun, Moon and Star shouted as one and prepared to attack without waiting for the being's response. Sun's bullets blazed as they struck the swaying tendrils atop the thing's head and Moon's boomerang flew, shearing the heads of a few off. But the thing _threw_ itself into the void, crashing through Primeval's defenders and sending them spiraling out of sight.

As it landed on the pristine world it made a crater three hundred feet across from its impact alone, and the animals that called the world home fled in all directions as fast as they could. The loathsome thing paid them no mind, instead starting to burrow into the ground spraying dust hundreds of feet into the air as it did.

At last its prey had been found.

* * *

><p>As they watched, an already suspicious Sphere turned on Tarock, and only the bravest of souls were willing to answer his call to hunt down and destroy the source of the Mythos itself. One of them was Master Thyer, protégé of the Emperor and wielder of a mighty enchanted sword that once been the Emperor's, when he'd been a crusading knight.<p>

Most of a year passed and their numbers were whittled down by repeated conflict with the monsters, but eventually they found the starving monstrosity and its strongest guardians in a tomb near the top of the Sphere and in a terrible battle the creature was seemingly destroyed at the cost of all of Tarock's followers, and he himself was fatally injured in the process.

But in the aftermath a strange rush of energy from the Mythos' source formed into the shape of a deathly pale woman clad in a thin white gown. She sprang at Tarock and tore at his armored throat and thanks to his injuries it was all he could do to fend her off. In desperation he pulled a gimmicked Ora Stone out and threw it at her, forming a stone shell. Working quickly he placed runes on her trap to leave unpleasant surprises for any who'd come to free, then stumbled away.

As they reached this point in the story Ben pulled himself away from the mental union with the others. He'd heard this much from Jack already, and was in no mind to watch as Tarock died. Even if it wasn't the one he knew.

He slumped against the wall of the cave, paying no attention to the jagged Ora Stones pricking his back through his coat as he readjusted to seeing things one second at a time as just one person. After steeling himself he glanced over at Liss, who still squirmed and groaned as the Mythos essence was purged from her body. Most of the insect-like armor on her had sloughed off, revealing normal skin underneath, and what continued to cling to her cheek and fingers now looked more like wet clay. As it dripped onto the floor it evaporated into tiny puffs of blue smoke.

"You know," he murmured, too low for Liss to hear even if he thought she could, "I know I was giving you shit that day, back when we were in detention together…but when Sanchez turned into a monster, and then you suited up and tackled him through the wall like it was nothing at all to you…that was when I fell in love with you, Liss." Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes. "Just needed to finally say that…" As he did, Primeval's light flashed a few times as if acknowledging his confession.

Suddenly Liss sat up and screamed, clutching her head and inadvertently getting a clump of wet evil still clinging to one hand caught in her hair. But underneath was a human hand with five strong but graceful fingers, and Ben was unworried.

Until Liss said what she said next.

"Something's coming."

"What is?" Ben asked, already knowing the answer in the pit of his stomach.

"A Mythos! A monster! Something huge and—

But she never finished. The cave was suddenly filled with a deafening roar of exploding stone as whatever Liss had sensed battered its way into sight. It looked like an enormous worm, its horrific fang-studded maw big enough to swallow two people standing on each other's shoulders. Surrounding it were rows upon rows of hideous waving, pulpy tentacles atop a long black worm-like body covered in gray slime.

Liss recognized it, from a time not all that long ago when she'd thought reading dark fantasy made her deep. It looked like most of the pictures she'd seen of Chthonians, giant worm-like creatures from stories based on the works of Lovecraft. And one of them was right in front of them about to attack.

"Change Vaga!"

"**Cups Suit!**"

In a flash they were in their armor and the Chthonian was thundering toward them. The walls groaned and tried to push together, no doubt Primeval using his power to try to hold back the monstrosity but its slimy body allowed it to slither all the way into the cave before Primeval could finish the job.

"Vaga Nova!" Vaga screamed, gouging the points of his most powerful attack in the air and letting it fly. The column of bright green-white power seemed to burn even brighter, perhaps with the light of Vaga's desperation as it shot at the monster. It collided with the Chthonian just below its head, boring into the thick, slimy flesh. After a second it punched out the other side and smashed a hole in the wall, scattering dust and lightless Ora Stones around the cave.

Then the Chthonian hurled itself to the side, crashing into Vaga and driving him into the wall with piledriver force. He slid down, not moving.

"**Ace High! Crash Tide!**" Tarock's buckled roared as she braced herself for the force of her form's ultimate attack. A blast of water ripped from the cannon barrel engulfing her hand and formed into a wall of water that rushed at the Chthonian. The giant worm pushed forward trying to power through it but cried out in what Tarock desperately hoped was pain as the water touched it, washing away the slime coating its trunk and sending up a cloud of hissing steam. But the giant monster rose up until only the tip of its loathsome tail was still on the ground, showing badly burned skin where Tarock's attack had touched it. Then it came crashing down, shaking the floor and knocking Tarock off her feet, disrupting her aquatic blast.

"**Pentacles Suit!**" her Fate Driver announced as Tarock quickly switched cards. She pounded her hammer into the Chthonian's side with all her supreme might and knocked it onto its side and sending the slime covering it flying, splattering all over her armor in the process. But in another second the Chthonian turned toward her and plunging its maw at Tarock to swallow her whole. Tarock jumped to her side, vaulted off the wall and onto the monster's back.

"**Ace High! Earthsplitter!**" the Fate Driver announced next as she pressed the Royal Core on her belt to summon this form's highest powers. She smashed the enlarged Gran Crusher down on the Chthonian's neck just below the mass of squirming tentacles. More slime went flying and cracks flowing with green power started to spread from where Tarock's weapon had made impact. They spread further and further across the monster's body. But then the monster screamed and thrashed around, easily hurling Tarock off its back.

The monster raised itself up on its tail and came crashing down on top of Tarock, tons of slimy flesh driving her into the floor. For a few seconds Tarock couldn't breathe, couldn't even feel pain until the Chthonian rose up to batter her with its horrendous bulk again, every inch of her body feeling like fire as she watched in horror while the Chthonian's body plummeted down on her again.

"Vaga Lancer!" a voice cried out. Vaga appeared above Tarock and stabbed his spear deep into the monster's underbelly. He yanked upward carving further into the Chthonian which bought Tarock the seconds she needed to get to her feet. The monster screamed and squirmed back and forth, wrenching the spear from Vaga's hands.

Green cracks were spreading further down its back from where Tarock's Earthsplitter had made impact, but the hideous creature seemed unfazed. The two had hit this giant monstrosity with their most powerful attacks and it only kept coming. Was there anything they could do to stop it?

The Chthonian screamed and slithered at them with the tentacles lining its head reaching out for them. As one extended toward her waist Tarock cocked back her fist.

"**Calamity! Temblor Punch!**" Tarock's fist erupted with green energy as she connected with the slimy tentacle reaching out for her, blowing off the end of the tentacle. But before she could attack again a dozen more lashed out and coiled around her and Vaga. The Chthonian was about to toss them into its mouth when a horrible, grating whine filled the cave.

Primeval's primary crystal exploded, peppering the Chthonian with huge spear-like shards impaling it everywhere they struck. The monster thrashed in pain at the assault and Vaga and Tarock were able to kick free and retreated to a far corner of the cave where they were out of the Chthonian's way. They watched, horrified as the light in the main crystal flickered and then started to fade away completely.

Just before it did they could feel Primeval in their minds, but for the first time it was more than feelings and images. This time it was words in a voice that sounded like rocks being rubbed together.

_Please…do not grieve…I formed a world to hide from this danger…Empowered others to guide the people and maintain my disguise...I was found anyway…Time more was done than spinning a world to hide inside…Go and fight now…for these people…for your people…for…_all _people…_

The Chthonian smashed itself back and forth against the walls in rage as the life faded out of Primeval until only a small point of light remained. Blue smoke was coming off the Chthonian in sheets now as its injuries were finally too much for it. As it started to disappear the ceiling rumbled and dust and boulders pelted down. A narrow tunnel appeared near Tarock and Vaga and they ran down it as fast as they could toward a tiny point of light in the distance.

* * *

><p>Minutes later they emerged into the forest on the surface of the tiny world. As soon as they caught their breath, it was obvious something was wrong. There were no sounds of wildlife from just of sight as there had been before. The leaves on the trees and bushes had turned brown and brittle, and there was no sign of the three guardians circling the skies in search of danger.<p>

"My god…," Vaga muttered in disbelief. "This place is…dead. Hey, look!"

He pointed at Hermit, who was leaning against a tree with his hood down over his face. But something about his posture was off and the lantern on his staff had gone out.

Vaga nudged him lightly and without warning Hermit suddenly slumped forward, dust spilling out of the empty robe and Hermit's staff tumbling over with a clang. Vaga shrank back in horror.

Tarock clapped a hand on Vaga's shoulder. "Come on, we need to go," she said.

"What do you mean?!" he demanded. "Look at this! Look at _him_! This place…everything just _died_, Liss! Because of _us_! How do you just shake that off?!"

"Primeval told us not to let it get to us. That was his choice, remember?" Tarock reminded him.

"Liss, I knew you were hard, but I never thought-" Vaga started to shout when Tarock backhanded him across the face.

"And the other reason is we don't have time!" she yelled. "You know how I knew that monster was coming? Because the White Lady could see everything I did when I was still part monster. She sent it because she knew we were here. She knows the Empress took Lost, and that was days ago, wasn't it?"

Vaga nodded numbly.

"There you go," Tarock replied tiredly. "She sent something huge here, she's probably sending something even bigger to get Lost. And with how the Empress probably thinks she's won with getting rid of me and capturing Lost, she won't be expecting an attack, I bet you anything."

"I'm sorry," Vaga apologized, but Tarock held up a gauntleted hand.

"We can feel bad about what happened after we save Lost," she said. "God only knows what'll happen if we don't. So let's go save her, yeah?" At that she held out her hand to Vaga.

Vaga hesitated. "What about the cure for Lost we were supposed to get?"

"I guess we'll have to find one ourselves now, won't we?" Tarock answered. "You in?"

He stared at her for a second, mentally digesting what all she'd just said. Then he clasped her hand harder than he meant to.

* * *

><p>It was a cloudy night over Mazones, which suited the dark figure creeping toward the base of the fortified wall perfectly. They traveled on all fours, moving from shadow to shadow, then at twenty feet from the wall, jumped and easily landed at the top in the narrow strip of darkness between two of the lamps set along the wall's walkway.<p>

A pair of guards patrolling in opposite directions crossed one another not far from where she hid. As he came closer she clung tightly to the edge of the wall, then peered over the wall to see nothing but roofs pressed too closely together for her to reach the ground without landing on one. She couldn't risk discovery this soon after her undetected entry and scampered to a stairway nearby.

Once she'd gotten a few blocks from the wall and there was no-one in sight, her body bubbled and morphed until a feline shape jumped from her body. It followed at her side as she walked past an elaborate wooden stage, an unpleasant smirk on her lips hidden by the darkness. Beyond the stage were the heavy doors to the imperial palace, but as she approached the guards saluted at once and wasted no time opening the doors to admit her entrance.

The Empress herself looked up and smiled graciously as the intruder entered her chambers. "Leone," said the Empress, glad to see one of the only Arcana willing to even discuss her side of the problem anymore. "So, you've come to see the beginning of the end of the Mythos for yourself, have you? Excellent, excellent…it will truly be a day that will go down in history." She glanced at the lion-like beast at Leone's side, who'd always been her constant companion, but this time something seemed slightly off about the beast. But if something was wrong the Mythos alarm would've been set off at the gate; what was there to worry about?

Empress Maeve looked out the massive window in one wall at the stage in the plaza below. "I'm afraid it'll have to wait until the appointed time…my people have waited for so long, it'd be terribly untoward to deny them the chance for a proper ceremony of an occasion such as this."

"This is not something I'd generally approve of making a spectacle," Leone replied calmly, "but the people are indeed suffering in so many ways. Reassurance is exactly what they need."

"It's nice to finally hear someone else who can talk sense-" the Empress began, but as she turned to face Leone the beast sprang. It raked its claws across Maeve's belly and before she could even recover from her surprise Leone spewed a beam of power from her mouth that knocked the Empress off the ground…

* * *

><p>Lost's stomach was churning fiercely and she laid on the stone floor in agony, trying to hold it in. If she were to expel it inside her cage of power, she was terrified to think what the monster that arose might do to her. Or what they would do if they paid no attention to her and managed to escape…<p>

The door swung open and in walked a guard in worn-looking armor. She carried one of the electrified tridents all of the guards of Mazones were armed with, and Lost cringed at the thought that someone had decided to come in and torture her even before the Empress had the chance to have her executed in front of the whole city.

Instead the guard smashed one of the crystal spikes projecting the shell of energy that kept Lost from escaping. The shell crackled and sparked for a second and Lost instinctively curled up into a fetal position until it stopped a second later. Lost looked up into the face of her savior…

…only to freeze in terror as they changed into a faceless Changeling Mythos.

In that moment as she realized how insidious the Mythos truly were, her resolve weakened for just a second. Her body heaved and she vomited a stream of black slime onto the floor. It had hardly even begun to spread when inhuman faces started to form within it.

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

(Leone and her familiar merge into a black-furred lion woman who attacks the Empress)

White Lady: Let the fall of the Sphere begin here!

(Mythos pour out of the Empress's palace trampling the stage meant for Lost's execution)

Thena: You're too late, Tarock, whatever your intentions are.

(Vaga fights a Mythos that tries to strangle him with an iron rope)

Liss: I'll show my intentions…

(Tarock in her Wands Form duels with Leone, dashing and smashing each other with wand and claws at high speed)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.

* * *

><p>Wanted to address a few things here at the end while I had the chance, the first being I'm sorry about how I handled the Inverted Sage. As was pointed out to me, and rightly so, I built up to the meeting with him for several chapters and then basically had him say "I can't help you but there's this other guy who can." My main reason for this was there would've been no good reason not to have Liss and Ben drill him with a bunch more probing questions, and I was worried about that breaking the story. We all love seeing the good guys unleash devastating powers on the monsters, but if they never have to struggle what's the story about? The only way I could think of to fix that on the fly was to have Liss's transformation accelerate and make Ben desperate enough that curing her was his only priority. Sorry for everybody who felt kinda let down; you have every right to do so.<p>

Secondly, I've apparently given the impression to a few readers that I'm planning to end Tarock soon because I've clearly been building up to a serious climax. This is true to an extent, but it's going to be a serious _mid-series_ climax; I've envisioned Tarock as being around the length of your average Rider show, and there's more to come.

Hope everyone's enjoying the story anyway, and look forward to what's coming up next.


	24. Chapter 24: Siege

Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Twenty-Four: Siege

So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Many battles followed, testing Liss's fortitude but also giving her the chance to gain powerful allies such as some of the Arcana, immortal beings who inspired the Tarot deck, and Ben Corland, her ex-boyfriend who can change into Vaga, a powerful warrior form of his own. However some Arcana automatically consider Liss a menace because the first Tarock was responsible for the death of one of their number.

After her last few battles Liss was able to rescue a girl who knows herself only as Lost, and is the source of the Mythos monsters. While trying to find a reclusive Arcanum who could hopefully provide a way to keep Lost from creating any further monsters, it was revealed that Liss had partly transformed into a monster herself. Worse still, the Empress of Mazones, the one most convinced Tarock means to kill her and all Arcana, tracked Liss down and kidnapped Lost, planning to execute her and end the Mythos danger.

With Liss restored to normal, she and Ben hurry to the city of Mazones to rescue Lost, not knowing the true danger not only to Lost but to the entire Sphere has already shown itself…

* * *

><p>Empress Maeve still hadn't recovered from the speed of Leone's surprise attack when she was blown off her feet by an energy blast and hurled against the wall. Leone's cat creature pounced at her again but this time she raised a hand and unleashed a massive blast of violet power that enveloped both attackers and carried them out through the window along with the Empress's desk.<p>

Maeve pressed a hand to the bloodied claw marks on her stomach and tried to collect herself. One of her few allies had just tried to kill her, but the Empress doubted it was Leone simply deciding she'd had enough. There had been something wrong with that creature of hers this time. But if they were being controlled by something evil, how had they not been spotted approaching the city or detected as they crossed any of the points of entry? The alarms should've detected any Mythos making their way into the city. Had the Empress lost her grip that much?

She limped to the window to locate Leone and finish her off, and below the balcony lay Leone and her catlike companion. But as she watched the creature bubbled and melted into a puddle of black slime that flowed over Leone's body. She stood up as it reformed, becoming thick black armor clinging to her slender form. The helmet had the design of a feline face, with slanted red eyes and glistening silver fangs surrounding a blank faceplate.

But Leone didn't attack Maeve again. Instead the Empress's attention was seized by a growing chorus of screams from the halls outside her chamber, and from just below her balcony. Three monsters ran out of the doors to the palace right behind a small group of servants as the pair of door guards tried to hold them at bay with their weapons before the monsters tackled and tore into them. The Empress loosed a blast of energy from her hand and incinerated the pair, but another pair sprang out and took their place, smashing through the stage with their hands and energy beams.

And then a gang of monsters burst through the door of the Empress's chambers, and she fired desperately at them. Mazones was under attack from within.

* * *

><p>A lifeless breeze blew through the glade, taking some of the stiff brown leaves still clinging to the empty trees with it. Liss and Ben had little time to notice, time was against them as it was.<p>

The last-minute check, making sure Air Talon and Shift Runner were up for their sprint to Mazones, was over. Ben was already on the back of Air Talon, but Liss was rooting around in Shift Runner's saddlebags until she found a stack of Wild Cards and pulled one out.

Liss sighed and pushed a small portion of energy into the card and it dissolved into crystal shards that reformed into a transparent moth. She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her duster before she started it recording.

Solemnly, Liss said, "Paige, I was with someone who's the source of those monsters I've been fighting. She isn't bad, I think I said that in the last message I sent. But she's been kidnapped by someone who's really strong and wants me dead. I didn't even do anything to her, just because I have the same suit as somebody she used to hate.

"I'm going to save that girl, Lost, now. I'm probably walking into an ambush, though, and if I don't come back…I want you to know you were the reason I did all this, Paige. You didn't let mom and dad tell you that you couldn't be with someone. That was too important to you to give up. Well, I'm not letting anyone tell I'm not strong and I don't matter…especially not somebody who hates me for something I never did. If you never see me again, I just want you to know this is what I died doing."

She raised her hand and the moth took off, starting the flight back to her hometown to let Paige know what it had been told. For a moment Liss paused and looked around at the barren trees and dry grass crunching under Shift Runner's hooves. There were no birds or other animals in sight, it was as if they'd simply disappeared with Primeval's passing. Would this be what the Sphere looked like if the White Lady got her hands on Lost, or would there be nothing but blackened earth all around?

"Hey," she said to Ben after she'd secured her helmet. "What did you say those guys were called? The ones with powers like us, in Japan?"

He looked over at her dubiously. "Why?"  
>"Just tell me. Please."<p>

Ben's face softened, and he replied, "Kamen Riders…why?"

"Just wondering," Liss answered. "Let's go!" Shift Runner glowed and rippled until Liss wasn't sitting on a metal horse, but an armored motorcycle. She blasted away at blinding speed and a transparent bridge like the one that'd brought them to this small world appeared in front of her. It stretched out of sight, probably reaching to the top level of the Sphere itself but seemed to flicker faintly as if the power was fading.

"Hey! Mine can't do that!" Ben called after her. "Or…can he?" Almost as soon as the thought had formed in his mind Air Talon was morphing into a powerful racing bike. Before he could kick into gear its engine was already revving and Ben awkwardly steered it after Liss up the bridge.

* * *

><p>"It sounds simple to me," came the booming reply of Lieutenant Loi, even though he didn't mean to try and deafen his friend and superior. His voice was simply the same as the rest of him: big and overpowering.<p>

Loi was a hulk of a man, standing nearly a foot and a half higher than Uthar, and spent an inordinate amount of his time settling bets between his comrades about how many cracks of his massive biceps it'd take to smash particularly stubborn-looking rocks. With his dark skin and hair people often jokingly called Uthar his younger brother, and some of them even meant it until they learned otherwise.

"It's _simple_ to you how the Emperor's abandoning us?" Uthar demanded, slamming his fist down on table in their barracks. "_Now_, in the middle of an invasion? Maybe the ruler of Mazones would do such a thing, but aren't we meant to be the civilized ones actually concerned with our people's welfare?"

Loi laughed and imitated his friend, slamming his fist down on the table too but his huge fist popped one of the legs loose and made the top fall heavily into Uthar's lap. Barely seeming to notice, he admonished Uthar, "Well, someone's burning with passion for their duties!"

"This isn't a joke!"

"Of course it isn't!" Loi replied. "But would you rather the Emperor keep forcing himself to fight when we need a strong leader and he can't be one anymore, or find someone who's up to the job? The more important the job, the more important someone capable's in charge of it, no?"

"Like who? Tarock?" Uthar asked with a sigh. "Where's she been while the empire needed capable warriors? Just took her precious Card of Cups and left as quickly as she'd come. And that Vaga friend of hers, what a self-obsessed little brat! He left as soon as he'd killed a monsters, with more coming every day!"

Loi stuck the missing leg back on the table and rolled a jug of mead out from under his bunk. "Sounds as if you're stressed, friend. Have a drink," he prompted Uthar.

"The Emperor's deserting us, and you-"

"**Drink**," Loi said, and filled a mug for each of them. Begrudgingly Uthar downed the mead in his, let it settle for a minute and sighed. Loi smiled. "Isn't that better?"

"You're right," Uthar admitted. "I was letting my frustration get to me. We've got to keep our heads or the Mythos have already won."

Loi gently nudged his friend, nearly knocking him out of his chair. "Well said! And are you so sure of Tarock? Have you watched those recordings Jack had taken of her battles? I think I like that one with the Headless Horseman best," he said, referring to crystal recordings apparently taken by those strange crystal animals, Wild Cards, sent to monitor Tarock's battles and bring them back to Avalon so everyone could see that someone was out there taking on the Mythos.

"No, I haven't," grunted Uthar. "It's fine how those things have driven up enlistment, but we have people here who need protection. Where is she now?"

Another mug followed for both of them. Loi was about to say something when an annoying droning sound started to come in from the distance. Slightly sloshed, it took them both a second to recognize the sound of the city alarm: enemies had been sighted approaching the wall.

It was a minute before they'd managed to don their armor and arm themselves so suddenly, and by the time they'd joined a column of fellow soldiers outside the barracks a huge gray-skinned Cyclops was kicking a hole through the wall that a stream of black, monstrous shapes flowed through. A giant spider with the upper torso of woman sticking from the front of its body scurried over the wall with ease. A dozen more flew above the wall and started diving and blasting buildings and people.

Avalon was being invaded.

"Form a wall!" Uthar ordered. "Delay them for just a few minutes!"

As the guards rushed to form a line stretching from one side of the street to the other, Sentos slowly, tiredly extended arms and legs from his form of the battered watchtower at the gates of the city. He'd only barely completed his transformation before the Cyclops caught him a terrible blow against the head and knocked him down, shaking the ground so badly from his tremendous impact more than a few of the guards were knocked down with him.

Uthar, Loi and the handful of guards still on their feet rushed forward firing at the Mythos with their batons. A few were knocked down by the blasts but other monsters swarmed right over their fallen comrades and attacked the guards with flailing claws and blasts of their own. Uthar and Loi dug in as a blue-furred wolfman and blue-skinned hag crashed into them, the hag raking her metal fingernails against Loi's armor until he lifted her with one hand and hurled her into the crowd of monsters behind her.

The spider Mythos tore into the side of one of the barracks with her giant front legs, and backed off in surprise at what she saw inside: a group of men in bright red uniforms and full-face silver masks and harnesses around their chests, and right behind them a group of men in identical uniforms, masks and harnesses, but green instead of red.

The men in red charged the spider Mythos, holding up short rods of metal. At the push of a button blades of red light formed at the ends. They started hacking at the spider who scuttled backward as fast as she could with hunks of her front legs missing. The men in green jumped in front of their comrades as members of the Mythos horde recognized a threat, and those that could opened fire with blasts of energy, quills or hurling their weapons.

The fighters in green jumped to the front and brandished metal discs emblazoned with five-pointed stars. The projectiles seemed to change direction in midair to collide with the discs rather than their wielders and then volley off into the air or at an angle back into the monstrous horde. Howls of pain went up as numerous Mythos were floored by their own attacks, a few exploding into blue smoke at their demise.

"**Charge!**" Uthar bellowed at the guards who managed to get to their feet and rushed into the mass of monsters. The giant Cyclops turned his attention to the city's defenders and swung his club at the warriors in red and green, smashing a few of his fellow Mythos as he did.

Just as he was about to flatten the first of them a swarm of smoke-spewing grenades flew through the air and landed on the Cyclops's face. He screamed in surprise and pain and stumbled backward. From the top of a building a group of men in yellow uniforms and harnesses like the others opened another round of gas grenades and threw them into the mob of surprised monsters.

As the grenades flew a fourth group of warriors in colorful uniforms, this time blue, ran forward and formed a firing line in front of those in yellow. Those in blue carried long metal rods, and three of them touched the rods together and sent a column of blue-tinged fire roaring into the monsters.

"Well!" Loi shouted with amusement as he grabbed a blue-skinned ogre in a tiger-striped loincloth and fired his baton right in the monster's face. "Looks like the Four Corps are working out awfully well! And who do we have to thank for them?!"

Uthar looked up at his friend in annoyance for just a second, just enough to tell him this wasn't the time with his expression. Instead he simply pushed his way into the now-panicking mob of Mythos, with Loi grinning and wading in right behind him.

* * *

><p>It had only been a few dark shapes swarming through the streets of Mazones at first. Then the sounds of inhuman screams and chattering had come from the floor below. Then there were monstrous creatures trying to climb over each other through the chamber door, and it was all the strange fusion that was the Arcanum Mila and Felco could do to hold the Mythos off with what power remained them. The hallway had gone quiet for the moment, but with screams and explosions increasing in the streets, it could only be a temporary reprieve.<p>

"My love, if this is to be the last of our-" Felco started to say, but Mila shot him a fiery glare that stopped him in midsentence.

"This wouldn't have happened if we hadn't given up our power to that pair of traitors," Mila scowled, then sighed. "But…that might not have happened if we'd made a different approach. Hadn't threatened them with the state of their marriage."

Felco looked straight at her, his own gray eyes shining. "We've become hardened by what we've seen, but is it too late? Is redemption not what we offered those two along with a taste of power?"

"Is that what's called a 'deathbed conversion'?" Mila asked, but one side of her mouth was turned up in a faint smile.

"Only if we die," Felco said, a slight coy smile forming on his own face. "And perhaps that need not be the case, if we can summon aid."

"You mean, asking those two for help? After they turned their backs on us and ran off with our power?"

"Mythos are inside the walls, my love," Felco answer with a sigh. "What do we have to lose?"

The two of them shut their eyes and concentrated on the sensation of the power that made them Arcana, reached out beyond their world for that same sensation, small and distant though it was. They stretched out for it inch by inch until their bodies tingled with strain, but suddenly they'd made contact and a window appeared in the air showing the surprised faces of Lurian and Nema, the couple from Mazones they given a portion of their power to fight on their behalf, only to exile themselves after Mila and Felco had pushed them too hard for their failures.

"Come to check in?" Nema demanded snidely. "We're managing quite well, thank you. The locals have been very welcoming."

"There's no time to dwell on the past," Mila told them. "Mazones is under attack. Mythos have gotten inside the walls, there's no guessing at their number."

Lurian and Nema stared back at their former benefactors in disbelief. "What?" Lurian managed to stumble out. "How can that be possible? Weren't they discovered at-"

"We don't know, but the fact is they're here and we need all the help we can get," Felco cut him off. "We've been harsh but these are dark times, and have only gotten darker. Will you come to your people's aid now, when the need is greatest?"

The mortal couple exchanged only one look, and then Nema answered for the both of them.

"We're coming."

* * *

><p>Most of the way to Mazones Ben had lagged behind Liss even by going as fast as he could, although he hadn't blamed her for being in such a hurry. Lost might have been the source of all the monsters endangering the Sphere and even starting to trickle back to Earth, but he couldn't believe she wanted any of it to happen. And it had touched off something strong in Liss about seeing someone victimized like Lost was, first by the White Lady and now by the Empress. It was clear Liss was willing to fight for that strange girl, and as they neared Mazones, it looked like they'd have to.<p>

Even at the distance they were, Liss and Ben could see menacing shapes flying across the rooftops in the distance and beams of energy shooting up into the sky amidst explosions erupting in the streets.

"What do we do?" Ben asked after he pulled up next to Liss.

Liss pointed at the spires of a castle on the far edge of the city. "That must be where the Empress took Lost. We'll try to get there and find her."

"But what if this has been going for a while? What if the Mythos thought of that too and they already got her?" Ben asked a little worriedly.

"We'll just have to keep our eyes open, then," Liss said. She revved her bike and zoomed over the field, loading her Card of Swords. "**Swords Suit!**" In a flash she was clad in red armor.

"Change Vaga!" Ben yelled as he transformed too before starting after Liss. He considered his new Trosik powers briefly, but it didn't take long to decide that riding into a warzone wasn't the best time to get used to a new form.

They'd only been going for a few seconds before some of the flying Mythos above the city spotted them and peeled away to attack. The first one, who looked like an old man with red skin, a foot-long nose and black feathery wings dove at Tarock. She kept going, seemingly unaware of the monster in a death-dive at her at all, then all of a sudden popped a wheelie and smacked him out of the way with her front tire. He squawked in terrified surprise then went bouncing away along the ground.

Another Mythos, who looked like a teenage boy except for the black skin, bat-like wings and bow and arrow in his hands took aim at Tarock with a heart-tipped arrow. She passed her hand in front of her belt and her sword flashed into being. She was waiting for her attacker to fire when a glowing bolt came shooting from behind and impaled one of the monster's wings, sending him tumbling out of the sky. Vaga rode up to her side, steering awkwardly with one hand with his crossbow clutched tightly in the other. Tarock nodded at him and sped on ahead before they could be attacked again. For a second he slowed, feeling slightly dazed, then sped up again to keep up with Tarock.

As they neared the smoldering tents of the refugee camp at the edge of the city wall the roar of their bikes' engines drew the eyes of the few Mythos who hadn't chased the people further from the city or further in. One, a giant black-furred dog with teeth long enough to bite through tree trunks jumped off the edge of the wall at Tarock. She raised her sword and jabbed upward before he hit her, impaling him through the chest. He flailed at her face a few times before she let go of her sword and let the Mythos drop with it. Then with a final burst of speed she zoomed through a breach in the wall.

Once inside Tarock slowed to a stop. She remembered the gate plaza from when she'd been recovering from her injuries in Mazones those weeks ago. She'd passed through here several times while getting used to walking again. Sometimes Rexia would go into one or another of the little stores right at the edges and buy some kind of treat that she adored and Liss would have some of it too to make her happy, even though it tasted like soap to her.

The little store was smashed in now, and what she could see of the inside was covered in a sheet of rubble. Some of those weird little three-wheeled cars Rexia's father repaired for a living lay overturned and burning nearby, a few with the remains of their drivers still in them. Without thinking Tarock started up again, in the direction she thought Rexia and her father had lived. She had a job to do. An important job. _The _important job. But she had to at least look and see if they were still there.

* * *

><p>Vaga followed Tarock as she sped along the streets of the city, the empty streets and devastated houses he passed reminding him of the couple of towns they'd seen that had been totally destroyed by the Mythos. <em>But<em>, he reminded himself, this was where it ended. They'd save Lost, find a way to stop more monsters from appearing, and then they'd just have to see to the last of the monsters. He'd been telling himself that again and again.

A minute later Tarock stopped outside of a house she seemed to recognize, as she got off her bike and even let the card eject from her Fate Driver. In a flash it was Liss who stepped forward to inspect the badly damaged home.

"Is there something special about this place?" Vaga asked, wanting to remind her of the mission to save Lost, but curious to hear the answer.

"This is where I stayed when I was healing from my first couple battles," Liss answered softly, distantly. "I guess that was when Jack and Shardak thought I was dead, and they were training you up to be Vaga."

He was a little surprised not to hear her say "to replace me." But then, something about her seemed different ever since he found out about her being a superhero, and especially since they'd met Primeval.

Then a heavyset, tired-looking man whose face and clothes were covered in soot and a few small dark red stains emerged from the house. He looked at Liss and actually did a double-take. "You…what are you doing back here?" he demanded.

"Hi, Karam," Liss said. "Where's Rexia? Is she all right?"

"No," the man said, slumping down on the blasted remains of his front stoop. "She's dead."

Liss swallowed and shut her eyes. "I see."

"Not from this," Karam said, indicating the city with a sweep of his arm. "She didn't come home after work, ended up meeting some of her old friends and going to a protest. One about _you_, I heard, about your _good works_. Someone attacked some guards who came to break it up, and she was caught in the crossfire. My daughter's dead…thanks to _your good works_."

"I'm here now to help," Liss replied, firmly but a bit apologetically.

"And just in the nick of time, aren't you?!" laughed a derisive voice Liss didn't any help recognizing. Seeming to melt out of the shadows was a woman in slightly scorched black armor, with the image of a lion on her helmet. Her eyes were the infernal red of someone the White Lady was speaking through, but the face didn't belong to anyone Liss had ever seen.

But she wasn't the only one there. "Leone," Vaga said, low and slow, clearly not wanting to believe what he was seeing but at the same time knowing that he could only believe.

"That's right!" she crowed. "Even the Arcana succumb to my embrace. Everything crumbles, everything is consumed. It's simply fate…or the small part of fate that a species as limited as yours can perceive."

"Then…," Liss started to say, then stopped. Leone watched her for a reaction for another second, then suddenly lunged at her with claws raised, moving across the street in a black and silver blur.

"LISS!" Vaga screamed. But Leone could get close enough to attack Liss slammed a card into her Fate Drive.

"**Wands Suit!**" it called out and Liss changed into a blue and black blur that intercepted Leone's dash and smacked her into a stone wall that crumbled as she crashed through it.

"Then…I'm Kamen Rider Tarock, fighting fate," she announced.

"What…?" Vaga said, stunned. She'd never shown the slightest interest in Kamen Riders even when he'd been trying to get into the spirit of being a superhero. How much had she changed since they'd started doing this?

Tarock sucked in a breath before she spoke. "My own damn parents told my sister she didn't matter because they didn't like one thing about who she is. I got told my whole life was already wasted because I wasn't a perfect little student who fit into a nice little mold like they and the people at school wanted.

"Yeah well maybe I won't be rich and maybe I won't live in a huge house, but I'll be who I am, and nobody's got the right to tell me I don't matter because I'm not what they think is best. And I'm not gonna tolerate anyone who treats people as just some cheap little resource for their own little goals. Maybe I'm not much of a hero like those Riders guys are supposed to be, but those are the kinds of things they fought for, and so I guess that makes me one too. If your way is fate, then I'm fighting fate!" Tarock shouted.

Leone exploded out of the debris in a jump that took her twenty feet into the air and landed in front of Tarock. "You saw how badly I outmatch you when we joined minds, remember? This was a creature of great power even before it was amplified by the addition of my being to her body. Do you think you're a match for her?"

"You're not in my head anymore, and seemed to me the first Tarock beat one of you like that," Tarock replied and summoned her wand, Pyre Brand. "I'll try my luck."

Leone flexed her fingers and six inch-long claws sprouted from the tips. "Then try it." She charged Tarock, turning into a dark blur.

"Think I will," Tarock murmured. "Mag Step."  
>Immediately everything around them seemed to come to a standstill, even the flickering of the flames still burning among the destroyed houses. Karam and Vaga stood and stared like statues. But Leone came barreling at Tarock at a normal dash with claws glistening, ready to take her life.<p>

"**Calamity! Muspel Mace!**" said the Fate Driver and the end of her wand erupted in flames. Tarock ducked under Leone's first slash, the lowest claw sending a stream of sparks flying off the back of her armor. Tarock hooked the flaming tip of her Pyre Brand around the back of Leone's leg and sweeping it out from under her. In the split-second before Leone recovered Tarock battered her chest plate with the Pyre Brand. It bounced off with a clang that seemed to echo again and again and again in the suspended time of their heightened speed.

Leone slashed at her again and Tarock immediately retreated, not daring to let herself take a hit like that in her lightly-armored form. Instead Tarock took off at her hardest run into the unsettling stillness around them.

To Karam and Vaga it had all lasted a single second and then the two dark blurs were speeding away down the street far too fast to think about catching up to them. Still Vaga revved the engine of his motorcycle and started to speed off to try. He'd only gone a few hundred feet when something jumped off a roof and kicked him off his bike. Landing in a heap, Vaga angrily jumped back up swinging his Warder like a club at whatever had attacked him. He connected with something and knocked them down, and as he looked he recognized the gaunt-faced man he'd fought once in a battle in the sewers. It was a new Spring-Heeled Jack.

As Vaga raised his weapon to finish off his enemy, two pairs of monstrous hands seized him from behind.

* * *

><p>After a minute that seemed like an hour even inside the miasma of speed surrounding them the street opened into a square. Tarock dodged Leone as she threw herself at Tarock in a flying tackle, then as she passed Tarock let the speed fade. The soreness from maintaining Mag Step wasn't as bad as she'd remembered from before, but being in the middle of a war zone she had no intention of exhausting herself this soon.<p>

Leone turned and flexed her muscles and then a glowing image of a lion's head shot from her body at Tarock. Tarock crouched launched herself high into the air and curled into a ball at the top of her jump to avoid the attack which hit a house behind her and exploded the entire structure sending pieces of stone and wood flying all over the square.

Before Leone could attack again Tarock landed in front of her and summoned her power again. "**Calamity! Mag Punch!**" said the Fate Driver and Tarock threw punches at Leone's chest plate that were so fast they were only blue blurs. Again and again her knuckles rang against Leone's armor, until with an enraged shriek Leone launched a blazing kick at Tarock who retreated out of range at the last second. The possessed Arcanum followed after Tarock seeming to fill the very air with swipes of her gleaming claws. Tarock dodged and weaved backwards over and over, then jumped high. "**Dire Fate! Flames of Wrath!**"

In midair Tarock spun and swung her wand, shooting a huge fireball from the tip at Leone who swatted it into nothing as it came close. Tarock spun again and shot another fireball, this one even bigger, and Leone's claws pushed back against the fireball for a few seconds before it burst. Tarock spun a third, final time and launched a fireball the size of a car at her enemy, and Leone slashed at it with all her might but it exploded in front of her and threw her back.

But in another second Leone was back up, only slightly blackened by the explosion, and sneering at Tarock. "Do you see what I mean now, human?" she laughed. "It doesn't matter if it's inside your mind or not, I am entropy! All succumb to me."

Tarock said nothing. She didn't dare hint she was working toward something and not just trying to defeat Leone through force. All of a sudden three flying Mythos dove at Tarock out of the sky but before they could attack another shape jumped off a rooftop and cleaved two of them in half before Tarock could blink. The third tried to ascend but the intruder chopped it to pieces with a vicious X-cut. Then they landed near Tarock, and she instinctively lifted her wand to defend herself before she recognized the visorless winged helmet and the gleaming shortsword in each hand owned by Thena, the envoy of the Empress.

"She's an Arcanum. Was the Empress right about you after all?" Thena said to Tarock, strangely calmly for the second-in-command of the Arcanum who wanted her dead the most.

"Not anymore," Tarock replied and clutched the haft of her Pyre Brand. "Now she's one of them. And she's gonna make us _dead_ if we don't stop her."

In the pit of her stomach Tarock felt a stab of guilt. Primeval had cured her from being turned into a monster, didn't that mean it was possible for other people? But with how Leone was as dangerous as any monster she'd fought, was that a chance she dared take? And one the queen of the Mythos hive would let her take?

Then Leone pounced the two of them like a cat, and the battle was on.

* * *

><p>Vaga felt himself smash through a wall then he came to a bumping stop on a pile of smashed rocks. He scrambled to his feet and changed his weapon to the Vaga Lancer as he did. The Mythos who'd thrown him, another one of those damned blue-furred wolfmen and a blue-skinned ogre in a tiger-pattern loincloth, were running at him to finish him off, but he was ready for them.<p>

"Heart Seeker!" he yelled and charged his spear with power before he stabbed it through the chest of the ogre. It was already dissolving when Vaga yanked the spear free and stabbed it through the wolfman's chest. The last Mythos, Spring-Heeled Jack, looked at him for a second, but then suddenly produced a glowing yellow crystal, clutched it in his fist and a blinding flash followed.

As soon as the light hinted his eyes Vaga felt a powerful kick connected with his chest and knock him down again. Angrily Vaga jumped back up and turned around looking for the Mythos, clenching his weapon when he spotted them.

At least he thought so, but the gaunt figure of Spring-Heeled Jack was encased in black armor lined with yellow. Jagged yellow spikes stuck up from his elbows, shoulders, knees and formed an imposing crest at the forehead of his blank mask. Not even lenses for eyes stuck out against the black metal. Engraved on his chest plate was a yellow circle, which Vaga guessed was meant to represent the looped rope in his hands.

It was the strangest thought, but Vaga paused for a second, trying to remember where he'd seen a rope like that. That dark, worn and spotted rope, which somehow seemed impossibly whole and strong at the same time.

Then the image of an almost skeletal man hanging from a tree by that rope formed in his mind and his blood ran cold.

The Inverted Sage. That had been his rope. And they'd killed him. Taken what made him an immortal and were using it to empower one of their monsters.

And they'd been able to do it because Vaga had led the Mythos right to him. Just like he'd led them straight to Primeval, an entire world that was dead now. Was there some fragment of the powers that had sustained that the Mythos had taken that was helping them destroy this city? How much of this chaos was his responsibility?

He had to go and help Liss…but he couldn't ignore this, either.

"Vaga Bowgun!" His weapon morphed into its crossbow shape and immediately he fired at the armored Mythos, but his breath stuck in his throat when with lightning speed the monster flung his rope, caught the arrow in the loop and whirled it around to throw it at Vaga's feet. The blast hurled him into the air but Vaga managed to land in a crouch. The monster dashed forward and threw a kick at his head but Vaga rolled out of the way and fired his weapon at the monster's back. The arrow struck right between the shoulders but the monster rolled with the impact even in midair, and turned and threw out his lasso again and cinching the loop around Vaga's neck.

Immediately the monster yanked it tight and pulled Vaga onto his back. He planted his boot on Vaga's shoulder and then yanked it even tighter and Vaga's vision started to blacken around the edges. Vaga grabbed his enemy's leg and tried to throw him off but the monster just pulled the noose even tighter. The strength was fading from his body when a single word rang out: "STOP."

It was loud but cold, like the voice of death itself. But its speaker looked like nothing of the sort; it was a girl Vaga's age, in a simple red and black dress, with blazing orange hair. She looked at the scene of battle dispassionately, but her eyes were focused on the monster strangling Vaga.

Karam's jaw hung open and he stared at the girl, seeming as if he'd seen a ghost. Then his mouth opened and closed several times as if trying to find the words he needed. But he didn't get the chance before the girl spoke again.

"Dark Embrace," she said, nearly whispering as she crossed her hands over her chest. Black smoke seemed to flow from her palms and engulf her. In seconds it had solidified into a black cloak and a long silvery blade mounted on the back of her right arm. Then she literally flew across the distance between her and the Mythos, the tip of her blade easily stabbing right through his armor.

* * *

><p>Leone's lion's-head blast screamed by between Thena and Tarock, with both of them rushing her before she had a chance to evade them. Thena struck with a cross-cut across Leone's front and then dodged to the right and slashed again sending up sparks from Leone's armor. Leone raised a claw high but in the next instant Thena had already darted to the side and attacked her unprotected side again, moving with a speed to rival Leone's own.<p>

Inwardly Tarock sighed in annoyance at Thena getting in the way of her plan to wear down Leone's defenses. Carrying it out now meant using Mag Step again and she was trying to pace herself, but perhaps there was nothing for it.

"Mag Step," Tarock said and immediately the world slowed around her again and she blazed forward and smashed the fiery head of the Pyre Brand once, twice, three times when a slash from Leone knocked the wand out of her hand and spinning across the ground out of reach. She swatted Thena aside with a backhanded slap and then screamed as she slashed with both clawed hands at Tarock's head. Tarock grabbed her by the wrists and pushed back on Leone's wrists to keep those claws from slicing through her thin armor.

"Struggle! Struggle!" the voice of the white lady screamed from Leone's lips. "It's all you finite beings do! All to convince yourselves your existence matters!"

Tarock suddenly headbutted her, shutting her up. She was sure Leone was only off-balance for a second, not stunned thanks to that heavy helmet, but that second was all Tarock needed to launch her next attack.

"**Dire Fate! Firestorm Kick!**" announced the Fate Driver. Tarock slammed her foot into Leone's chest plate, her boot moving so fast flames surrounded the sole as her foot connected. She kicked again, even faster and harder and an even bigger halo of flames surrounding her foot as her kick made contact. Faster and faster the kicks came and farther and farther the flames spread with each impact. After one last kick there was a horrible _crack_ing sound and a burst of fire twelve feet high sent Leone flying backward, her chest plate shattered from Tarock's furious kicks.

Letting her speed linger for just another second Tarock tackled Leone and slammed her fist through the whole she'd made in Leone's armor. Then she grabbed Leone's throat in both hands and demanded, "Where's Lost?"

The answer was a snide laugh. "You think hurting this body hurts _me_, human?!" the White Lady asked. "I could speak to you through anything that contains my essence while I'm a world away! I can command hundreds of my children at once!"

"But can you just replace an Arcana monster?!" Tarock yelled and slammed her fist into Leone's midriff with all her might and pressed the armored knuckles down hard. She was attacking someone who'd done her no wrong, but if Lost was captured it could be the end of the world. Both worlds. Tarock grabbed Leone by the neck again. "Where is she?!"

"You really think this one's worth more to me than she is?" Her claws raked both of Tarock's sides and sparks went flying. Tarock held on for all she was worth but Leone's armor started to glow and another massive blast of energy in the shape of a roaring lion's face shot from her body and caught Tarock full in the chest. She turned end over end in the air while Leone got to her feet and bounded away like a cat.

Tarock rolled over and started getting to her feet to chase her down. As soon as her hands touched the ground to push herself up, though, the ground under her suddenly split and thick white tentacles seized her wrists. Everything rumbled and a few houses collapsed as the crack in the ground was opened wider by whatever was below, and after a minute the struggling Tarock was dragged down into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Next time on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…<p>

Liss: You'll never beat me.

(Tarock faces an amorphous tentacled Mythos as Changelings burst from pods in the walls around it)

White Lady: Why do I have to beat you when you'll just become part of me?

(The Empress lies alone, clutching her wounds)

Empress: Is this the end?

(Three Mythos merge into a giant manticore, with Tarock, Vaga, Ven, Donis and a black-cloaked Rider face it down in the street)

Narrator: Your fate is in your hands.


	25. Chapter 25: Affirmation

**Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt – Reading Twenty-Five: Affirmation**

**Note: This is it, the Mythos making their move. On that note, this chapter is a long one with pretty much non-stop fighting, so take as long as you need to get through it.**

**So far on Kamen Rider Tarock, Re-Dealt…**

Delinquent Liss Decker found herself caught between combatants from a strange alternate world called the Sphere, and afterward found herself with the ability to transform into Tarock, a warrior of awesome powers. Tarock's creator asked Liss to become a champion for his people, who were being plagued by the reappearance of monstrous beings they call the Mythos. Mainly seeing an escape from her oppressive everyday life, Liss agreed.

Many battles followed, testing Liss's fortitude but also giving her the chance to gain powerful allies such as some of the Arcana, immortal beings who inspired the Tarot deck, and Ben Corland, her ex-boyfriend who can change into Vaga, a powerful warrior form of his own. However some Arcana automatically consider Liss a menace because the first Tarock was responsible for the death of one of their number.

Eventually she discovered a girl who only knew herself as "Lost," and was the source of the Mythos monsters but wanted nothing to do with them. However her status as their source marked her as the vital target of another being who controls the monsters, the White Lady. Liss and Ben embarked on a mission to try to rid Lost of her condition and leave her a normal girl, but before they succeeded Lost was captured by the most zealous of the Arcana, the Empress. She planned to put Lost to death in order to end the threat to her people, without realizing this put both Lost and the Empress's city in great danger.

What followed was a terrible, unexpected attack on both of the Sphere's main cities. Liss arrived and battled her way in to save Lost before it was too late. But the White Lady is ready for her…

* * *

><p>The last of the small group of palace guards that had tried to storm the dungeons was cut down by a blast from the tail of a scorpion-man Mythos. Lost curled into a ball, trying not to watch as the slaughter ended. In the room where the Empress had imprisoned her, a group of Mythos were now between her and the door, keeping watch over her until…something terrible happened, she was sure. Strangely the White Lady hadn't chosen to speak to her and taunt her with her fate or any such horrible thing.<p>

But if she was being guarded rather than taken somewhere, then there was time for someone to come to her aid. Liss had fought the Mythos, fought the Arcana, even fought the darkness of the Mythos within herself for her belief that no-one should be exploited or their course chosen for them by the powerful.

Surely she'd see that fight to the end and come to deny the White Lady her prize.

Wouldn't she?

Lost shut her eyes tightly. Her life had been a waking nightmare since she'd first woken up in the wilderness and vomited black slime that came to life as monsters. In the last few hours it had only exploded. So many lives were being lost. Because of her, because of this curse she'd had placed upon her by fate. She didn't think she could bear it, not for much longer. If the strain had a chance to become any worse, Lost was sure she'd lose her mind.

But Liss wouldn't let that happen. She was too strong. Too persistent.

Lost had to go on believing that Liss would save her. Had to respect her for that. Had to know in her heart that Liss would find a way to end this hell.

Had to believe. Had to know. Had to believe. Had to know…

* * *

><p>The rough rock walls smashed and scraped at Tarock's armor as she was pulled deeper and deeper into the ground. Her vision started to adjust, revealing faint outlines of jutting rocks and outcroppings and the thick tentacles coiled around her arm and leg. She tried to reach for a new card but whatever was holding her seemed to sense her intentions and slammed her against the wall and dazed her just long enough to finish dragging her down to the bottom.<p>

In a second she could see the hideous shape of what had captured her. It took up most of the space of a vast, circular cavern, and was a huge amorphous blob covered all over with waving tentacles and transparent bubble-like pods containing the motionless forms of Changelings, the weak faceless Mythos that nonetheless could assume a flawless disguise of anyone they liked. The whole mass throbbed like a massive heart, but instead of the sound of pumping it seemed to give off a weird, inhuman sound almost like singing. It rolled and reverberated and it seemed impossible that Tarock should even be able to hear it with simple human ears…

Tarock started to feel drowsy, the urge to just stop struggling filling her mind as the tentacles drew her closer and closer to the surface of this hideous thing. She could see some of the Changelings starting to scrabble at their cocoons and climb atop their broodmother to await the delivery of their most hated enemy.

Instincts she'd been learning to rely on since her monster-fighting career screamed a warning at her from the very back of Tarock's mind. She had to find something else to focus on beside the blob-thing's singing or she was as good as dead. It took all her willpower but she slapped the Royal Core on her belt, and the results were instantaneous.

"**Coronation! King of Wands!**"

Flecks of blue power raced from the diamond-shaped crystal and spiraled down to the top of the blob-creature and formed themselves into regal, bearded man in blue armor carrying a copy of her own wand. Tarock mentally directed his actions, and he ran through the mob of Changelings and flailing tentacles, smashing the faceless Mythos out of his way. When he got to the base of the tentacles dragging Tarock down his wand erupted into flame and he burned through one tentacle with a single swing.

The blob's hypnotic singing changed suddenly, flowing into a distressed squealing. The fuzziness in Tarock's head disappeared with a sharp *SNAP*. She kicked at the tentacle still wrapped around her wrist until it came loose enough for her to yank free and drop to the throbbing top of the blob monster itself.

Immediately a pair of Changelings tried to tackle her but she grabbed them and tossed them over her head. Dozens of them exploded from their cocoons and swarmed closer to Tarock and her illusory ally, not making a sound as they attacked.

Then a huge tentacle came crashing down on where Tarock was standing but she launched herself into the air away from it, coming down right in the middle of a cluster of Changelings. She extended a leg and smashed a kicked home, shattering six Changelings into dust with one blow.

"Mag Step," she said as another tentacle crashed down, heedless of the dozen Changelings it crushed as Tarock raced away at high speed. King also became a blue blur, shooting through the crowd of Changelings, smashing any who got in their way into white dust. But even as they did more and more erupted from the blob, and its waving tentacles continued to beat down, missing Tarock and King by inches as if it could sense their path…

* * *

><p>Time seemed to have stopped as the new combatant's blade penetrated the Mythos's armor like paper. For seconds, or hours, he held completely still until one arm jerked forward and a piercing howl of pain filled the street. It happened to be the arm holding the rope tight around Vaga's neck, and Vaga was thrown across the ground with the noose pulling even tighter.<p>

The black-clad combatant lashed out with her other hand, striking the Mythos's hand wrapped around the rope. He dropped it to Vaga's relief, then jumped away from a wide swing of the intruder's scythe-like blade. The Mythos gave a high-pitched screech of what sounded like fear and turned and went bounding away from his opponent, who bent down to help Vaga to his feet.

"Hurry, we have to catch that thing before he can deliver the crystal to his leader," she said, her voice low and muffled by the power surrounding her. Vaga tugged off the rope and threw it away.

"And just who are you supposed to be, and why do you know so much about what he's gonna do?" Vaga demanded.

She replied, "For now, call me Trideka. And don't question the wisdom of denying the enemy an advantage. There are much worse things to come than this."

Vaga scoffed in disbelief and swept his arm over the scene of destroyed houses and flaming ruins around them. "Worse than this?!" he exclaimed.

She nodded gravely. "Worse than this."

A chill went down Vaga's spine and he realized she probably knew exactly what she was talking about. "What about Liss?" he asked.

"You're worried she can't take care of herself?" Trideka answered with restrained disbelief.

Vaga sighed inwardly. This girl, whoever she was, was right, Liss _could_ take care of herself just fine. The reasons for that were exactly why he'd accepted powers of his own to be able to keep up with her when she went to fight evil. "Okay, then we'd better go, huh?" Vaga said, and then went jumping off into the ruins of Mazones without waiting for her answer.

* * *

><p>Tarock and King continued speeding over the shifting mass as more and more Changelings burst from it. The creature's massive tentacles continued to flail at them as they ran back and forth destroying any of the faceless Mythos in their way. But already her arms and legs were feeling like they were tied to lead weights, and even as they burst through a group of Changelings each Tarock could see things around them starting to slow down to normal. As she did one of the huge tentacles smashed down right behind her and sent her tumbling into the air.<p>

She slammed into the blob belly-down and immediately a hole ringed with curved teeth opened and engulfed her arm. Tarock cried out in pain as the teeth scraped against her armor, and sent a command for King to come to her rescue. He jumped out of the way of another flailing tentacle and lifted his wand to bring it down on the teeth digging into Tarock's arm.

That was when a tentacle fifteen feet wide crashed down on top of both of them. King dissolved into nothingness at sustaining so much damage, and Tarock screamed in agony. Again it rose and then came smashing down on Tarock's back again, and she couldn't feel anything at all as it pulled back up again. Her armor crackled with power and then disappeared, leaving ordinary and vulnerable Liss Decker lying on top of a giant blob with her right arm trapped in a monster's mouth. Its teeth pressed deeper into her skin and a dark red stain formed on the sleeve of her duster.

Liss reached for the pouch with her cards with her left hand but a Changeling jumped on top of her and pinned her hand even as the tentacle raised to crush them both into jelly. "Guess this is it," Liss said, shutting her eyes tight and sucking in a deep breath to make it as quiet as possible when it happened. Maybe she'd overestimated herself rushing into Mazones like she had. Maybe she never should've gotten involved in this war in the first place. But if she was going out, she wasn't giving the White Lady the satisfaction of a show.

The giant tentacle started to swing forward and Liss clenched her teeth, but all of a sudden there was a whistling noise and a roaring explosion as the tentacle was blown off. Then someone clad head to toe in glistening black armor dashed past the Changeling holding Tarock down and slashed it with a long dagger making it explode into dust.

The blob-thing quivered and screamed in pain at the devastating attack, and with her left arm freed Liss shouted and smashed her fist down on the teeth biting into her other arm. Two of them snapped off from one punch and paying no attention to the red smear forming on the knuckles of her glove Liss punched again and broke off more of them allowing her to pull her arm free.

A figure in white armor and clutching a bow that still glowed faintly with the power of its last shot landed next to Liss and looked at her arm. It was Donis and the one in black was his partner Ven, former agents of the rulers of the city above them. "Are you all right, Tarock?" he asked.

"I've been worse," she said. She turned away when he tried to touch her wounded arm. "What are you two doing here?"

"Repaying a debt," Donis said, then suddenly grabbed Liss's arm and inspected the wound from being bitten there. "That's bad. We should-"

But Liss yanked free. "Thanks, but no time." She held up her green Pentacles Card and loaded it into her Fate Driver.

"**Pentacles Suit!**" In a flash she was clad in her thick green armor, and had her hand pressed to the Royal Core on her belt already. "**Coronation! Ace of Pentacles!**" the Driver announced before her strengthened warhammer with its raised star grille on the front appeared clutched in her hands. She lifted it high, and then yelled at the top of her lungs as she brought it down as hard as her form's awesome strength allowed. Ripples travelled across the blob's entire body, sending Changelings tumbling off and even snapping off a few of the thinner tentacles from the power of her attack.

The entire cavern rocked with the blob-creature's violent thrashing and squealing from the attack. The hands of Changelings erupted at Tarock's feet and grabbed her legs as two tentacles at once, fifteen feet wide and almost forty long, swung down on her. Donis gasped and fired his bow at the closer even though his weapon hadn't yet regained its full power, its blast deflecting the flailing tentacle a few feet away and smacking down only on the blob itself. The other seemed to roar as it came down, but Tarock yelled loudly as well as she swung her hammer with all her might as it came close. There was a wet snapping noise and the tentacle rebounded back, and didn't move again as it slapped into the blob's body.

Tarock set down her weapon heavily, panting and clutching her wounded arm. She told herself again how she needed to conserve her strength, especially with how the powered-up Gran Crusher seemed a lot heavier than when she'd still been part-Mythos. That just meant she needed to finish this faster and get to finding Lost, didn't it?

"Stand back," she warned Donis, then hefted her hammer.

"**Ace High! Earthsplitter!**" called out the Fate Driver. The head of her hammer erupted in pulsing green power before she brought it down on top of the massive blob. Lines of power rushed out from where she hit, splitting and spreading like cracks in ice. The horrible thing seemed to sense the invasive power spreading throughout its body and gave off a squeal that seemed to come from the entire expanse of its bloated body. More and more Changelings popped from it and swarmed toward Tarock and Donis, who clutched their ears in pain from the screaming before managing to gather themselves enough to ready their weapons.

Five dark shapes came toward Tarock and Donis, cleaving through the Mythos with their long daggers. The Changelings exploded into puffs of dust as they suffered any hit, but more just sprang up to replace them and protect their hideous mother. And the fact that they did was a worrying indicator that even one of Tarock's strongest attacks wasn't working against it…

Again she lifted her hammer. "**Ace High! Earth**-" the Fate Driver but Donis clapped a hand hard on her shoulder.

"Save your strength, Tarock," he said, then loosed an arrow that mowed down a row of Changelings. "You'll need it soon…MY LOVE! LET'S JOIN AND FINISH THIS!"

One Ven jumped out of the mass of Changelings in Donis's direction, one arm extended in a fist. Donis mirrored her move, jumping and holding out his free hand in a fist. As their hands touched they said as one, "**Twilight Convergence**." The color of their armor seemed to erupt around them, forming an orb of roiling black and white power. It spread outward in all directions, radiating a power far more intense than the first time Tarock had seen them use it. But the power felt different than when she'd been its victim as well; then it had been cold, a source of destruction. Now it was warmer, more alive, more like a true fusion between its participants.

The sphere of power pressed down the mass of the blob forming a widening crater against the horrible white flesh and destroying the Changelings that rushed forward in a suicidal attempt to stop them. The power touched against the green cracks from Tarock's attack, then flowed into them and raced throughout the blob. It quivered and shrieked in pain even more loudly, then there was a terrible, burning flash. When it cleared the cave was empty except for Tarock and her two erstwhile allies, and a sheet of ash covering the floor and walls.

"Holy crap," Tarock breathed at the power she'd just seen.

Ven gave a short but forceful laugh. "Do you hear that, Lurian?" she said. "We amazed Tarock!"

"We'll get the chance to try again soon," Donis said more seriously. "There are plenty of other monsters where that came from…"

* * *

><p>True to his name, Spring-Heeled Jack bounded with ease over a still-intact stone wall with Vaga and Trideka right behind him. They were getting awfully close to the turrets of the palace at the far end of the city, and Vaga was worried what was there that the Mythos was trying to reach.<p>

Spring-Heeled Jack turned suddenly and jumped through a thick plume of smoke coming from where a vehicle had crashed into a house and exploded. As Vaga and Trideka landed behind it themselves he was nowhere to be seen.

"There!" Trideka said, pointing with the tip of her scythe. He was bounding away to their left, already four hundred feet away and widening the gap in every second.

"Come on!" Vaga screamed, but instead of racing after the monster Trideka threw her black cloak wide. She wore a black bodysuit, chestplate and boots underneath, but around her slender waist was a silver belt with the number XIII on it in large raised characters made of ivory. At least, he thought it was ivory.

"**Death's Head**," whispered a sinister, grating voice from her belt and a skull, covered in some kind of black flame, appeared in her hand. She threw it in the fleeing Mythos's direction, and as the skull left her hand its jaws started to open and close and let out an evil cackle. The Mythos turned to see the skull and crouched and jumped even farther as it closed in, feeling the power it embodied: the icy power of absolute ruin.

The Mythos whipped his lasso down toward the street and wrapped it around a trio of bodies the Mythos had left as they pressed further into Mazones. He turned in midair and whipped them into the path of the skull, but it crashed right through them, its flames burning them to nothing and the skull's cackling seeming to grow even louder and more mocking.

Desperately the Mythos flung his rope again, wrapping it around huge hunks of stone debris instead and tossing them into the skull's path. Again the skull blasted through the obstacle the Mythos tried to put in its way with its dark flames burning the hunks of rock into a spray of dust. Then it zoomed forward and crashed into the Mythos's midriff, burning away flecks of his armor and then flesh with its flames.

Spring-Heeled Jack screamed as the skull bored into him until the curved edge of a dark blue sphere was revealed in the crater made by the skull's furious attack. A second later the skull flickered away, its energy exhausted. But the badly-beaten Mythos had no chance to recover before Vaga came hurtling out of nowhere and tackled him into a wall that crumbled as they crashed into it.

"Let's see how _you _like it, pal!" Vaga yelled and jammed the shaft of his spear across the Mythos's throat, squeezing the breath from his broken body. It felt unnecessarily vicious not to just finish the monstrous thing off, but for a second Vaga couldn't help himself. This evil thing had helped decimate the city around them, and Vaga knew by then it was only a tiny part of a much greater force bent on nothing but destroying anything it touched.

Its noose lashed out for Vaga's neck but he somersaulted out of its way before it could catch him again. As he stopped in a crouch the spear had morphed into a crossbow, its arch already snapping out of both sides of the barrel. A glowing bolt formed and even as Spring-Heeled Jack jumped to make his escape Vaga squeezed the trigger.

"**Heartseeker!**" he screamed and the bolt erupted with double its light and sped forward to pierce the Mythos's chest. With a last cry of pain he exploded into a blue smoke, and a second later Vaga heard something jangling as it hit the ground.

He looked around for what it had been and spotted a yellow crystal faintly glowing between pieces of rubble. The same one the Mythos had used to change into that suit of armor. Vaga reached out for it but suddenly Trideka appeared from nowhere next to him and snatched up the crystal and it vanished into the darkness under her cloak.

"And why do _you_ need to keep that?" Vaga asked suspiciously.

"Because it's safest with me," Trideka answered, although defying his expectations she didn't make a threatening move to emphasize her point. And he had to admit there was a logic in her claim. There was an awesome power radiating from her, greater than any Arcanum he'd met or Mythos he'd fought. Even more than the Empress of Mazones, who'd slapped him and Liss aside like bugs. Thinking about it made Vaga take a step back without realizing it.

Trideka turned around without warning as an inhuman chattering suddenly came from behind her. Vaga didn't even have to guess they'd been noticed by a group of Mythos, and sure enough soon an axe-wielding, gray-skinned Minotaur climbed over a hill of debris and slid down it to close in on them. A green-skinned Ogre with two heads and a huge wooden club in each hand was right behind him, along with a black-furred monster with the face of a cat and weirdly feminine physique. Behind them were three squat monkey-like creatures with fan-like ears and leathery green skin that looked all too familiar to Vaga. Overhead streaked a bird with majestic red and gold feathers that left a trail of flames in its wake.

Vaga took aim at the Minotaur but suddenly a ray of light ran down the blade of Trideka's scythe. "**Dark Reaping**," came the voice of her belt. In the blink of an eye she flew across the distance between them and the gang of Mythos as nothing but a streak of black, and with one terrifying swing of her scythe cleaved right through the Minotaur and Ogre at the same time. Both barely had time to give a strangled cry of disbelief before they exploded into blue smoke as dead Mythos always did. Instead of blowing away on the wind, it flowed into the shadows of Trideka's cloak.

The fiery bird dove at Trideka but she spun and sliced into the bird's side with her blade. It disintegrated into blue smoke as its momentum carried it past her, but again the smoke flowed inside of Trideka's cloak.

A shiver running up his spine, Vaga fired his bowgun at the lizard-monkey creatures, glad for the moment that whoever she was, Trideka was on their side.

* * *

><p>On the bottom of the Sphere, Sentos stunned the giant Troll he was fighting with a one-two punch to its warty yellow face, then grabbed the monster over his head and hurled it with all his waning strength over the walls of Avalon. At the stone giant's feet the city's guards fought with all their might to hold back the ragged remains of what had been an endless black tide of monsters trying to fight their way in.<p>

Fortunately the guards were now being reinforced by four groups of specially-armed soldiers. The squad in green wielded star-faced shields that reflected the monsters' own attacks back at them, while their allies in red swung blades of light that cut through anything they touched with no resistance.

Three soldiers in blue uniforms stood on a rooftop and touched the metal rods they carried together. A whirling blast of blue fire shot from the point where they touched. It roared down into the crowd of Mythos and blew another score into a column of smoke. Even as they realized their prey wasn't as poorly-prepared as they'd thought, the Mythos that hadn't been destroyed tried to press their attack. Only a rough fifth of their invasion force still stood, but even as another blast from the blue corps shrank it even further, they threw themselves at the defensive line of the city guard.

Sentos brought his giant foot down on the mob of Mythos and a rush of blue smoke rushed out around the edges. Not faraway Captain Uthar yelled at the top of his voice and jammed the energy-projecting baton that was his primary weapon onto the chest of the dazed Mythos he was fighting and squeezed the trigger with all his might. The monster was pushed back as bolt after bolt ripped from the end of Uthar's weapon until one blew through the monster's chest and out the other side.

As the monster exploded and another took its place and Uthar blocked its attempt to disembowel him, he thought for a second about the Emperor who Uthar had seen surrender his powers and walk away from this war. Just how many days and nights of battle like this had the Emperor seen? How many campaigns had he been part of, how many enemies had he slain with his own hand?

How many times had the Emperor claimed victory only to have it tempered with the knowledge of how many good people had sold their lives to secure it? How many friends had he lost over the years? How many _years_ had he had?

Had the Emperor maybe earned the right to want to put all this behind him?

Another Mythos came forward to attack Uthar, something with gleaming talons and a long ridged tail. He clouted it on the side of the head with his baton and then fired a burst that knocked it into two of its comrades. But then Uthar's attention was seized as a sound like a crack of thunder ripped the air and then another, and a huge dark shape like a bird passed overhead, trailing six long strands behind it. With a shriek it seized Sentos by the shoulders and dragged him into the air and beyond the walls of the city.

The Mythos surged forward, the ones closest to Uthar making a sound like cruel laughter. He pulled a small bullhorn off his belt. "Cups Corps, scatter them!" he yelled into it. "We need to finish this quickly!"

A hail of smoking grenades flew through the air and the line of guards fell before they landed. Uthar pressed a cloth to his mouth for a few seconds until he was sure the wave of surviving Mythos had stopped their rush, and some were flailing around blindly, some even coughing from the smoke they'd inhaled.

"CHARGE!" Uthar yelled, and the soldiers surged behind him. The red-clad Swords Corps took point and sliced into the monsters who were now spread all over the street, felling as many as they could as they pushed toward the city wall. The green Pentacles Corps ran by their sides, using their shields to deflect the blasts from the few Mythos who'd managed to recover already. The yellow Cups Corps followed at the rear, throwing grenades that exploded into showers of ice daggers that felled or drove back any Mythos that managed to get close enough to attack.

When they reached the wall Uthar's heart sank. The giant bird Mythos had landed with Sentos not far away, but even as he watched it closed its beak around Sentos's left shoulder and sliced off his stone arm. "Wands Corps, hit it with everything you've got!" Uthar ordered. The blue soldiers raised their wands and in groups of three touched the tips together. As before blasts of blue fire shot from the points of contact and ripped into the side of the giant bird, knocking it onto its side, but in another second it was up again and let out an angry wail before bashing the prone Sentos in his chest with its beak, sending huge hunks of rock flying and exposing a bright green glow from his body. The bird Mythos jumped on top of Sentos and claws with its feet at his chest, making the stone giant contort in silent pain.

If only the siege equipment for the leaders had been ready, but only the soldiers had been cleared…"Again!" Uthar ordered, as if they needed him to tell them. Once again the Wands Corps fired a salvo of blue flames at the giant Mythos, blasting feathers and pieces of the monster's body as each blast hit home. The bird shrieked and flapped its wings, and that gave Sentos a minute to smash his fist into the side of its head. It gave out a strangled squawk and toppled off him and was blown further away from Sentos by another bombardment from the Wands Corps.

Uthar and the others charged toward Sentos's prone form, but before they were even halfway there he knew they were too late. The green glow in Sentos's chest was weakening. By the time he and his fellow guards had reached the giant's side, it was completely extinguished.

Would this have happened if the Emperor hadn't left? Would it have happened if Tarock and her surly friend had been there helping to defend Avalon?

Or were things changing with new hands needing to take up the struggle, and he was simply afraid to acknowledge that two of them were his?

* * *

><p>At the top of the Sphere, the opposite scene played out in what remained of Mazones.<p>

A line of city guards tried desperately to push back against a wall of encroaching Mythos that continued to spread through the city toward the imperial palace. A mob of panicked bystanders huddled behind the guards, slowly trickling into the relative safety of the palace itself. They cringed as every few seconds a guard's scream of death cut the air and their surviving comrades had to jump together to keep the Mythos from piercing the line and slaughtering the people.

Above them dark shapes of flying Mythos circled around the towers of the palace itself, sometimes diving at the windows or at the crowd of cornered people. When the latter happened a ray of purple energy ripped from a high window and burned the attacking monster to ash before it could get close enough to attack.

In that window sat Empress Maeve, clutching her still seeping wound. It had seemed like the ordeal was finally coming to an end. That her suspicions of Tarock had been vindicated. Then she'd been attacked in her own home by one of her own allies, and been reduced to sniping monsters out of a window to protect her people.

Would she live to see the end of this? Was death while the people under her reign were slaughtered to be her fate?

Maeve shut her eyes and tried to suck in a deep breath to steady herself, but when she opened them again her vision was even more out of focus. Leone had hurt her worse than she'd realized…and as soon as she thought that there was a faint, familiar tingle in her mind. One that forced Maeve to her feet and made her stagger to the very edge of her balcony to stare deep and hard into the scene in the plaza below.

Her eyes cleared enough for her to recognize a figure in shiny black armor coming leaping into view and tearing into the guards. It was Leone, or whatever Leone had become. Maeve raised one hand while she steadied herself against the railing with the other, trying to aim a shot at the corrupted Arcanum. Surely that was a worthy use of her weakening energies…

But the Mythos seemed to part and allow Leone to dash to the front of their line where she slashed at the guards' defensive line, making it impossible for Maeve to get off a shot without a strong chance of annihilating her own people. Yet if she didn't take it who knew how many more of her people would lose their lives?

"**Ace High! Crash Tide!**" shouted a voice she could hear even as far as her balcony. Then suddenly a stream of water blasted into the plaza and widened into a wall of water that crashed into the pack of monsters, smashing the first row into oblivion. Advancing into sight was Tarock in her yellow Cups Form, and beside her were Ven and Donis, the exiled defenders of the empire. As Mythos pulled away from the group to confront this attack from the rear Ven split into five copies and dashed forward hacking at the monsters with daggers while Donis fired his bow and cut down three Mythos with one arrow.

Had they somehow learned of the near-destruction of Mazones and come to finally finish the Empress off, or…or had they come to fight in the city's defense?

Maeve sucked in a hard breath, her vision clearing for the few seconds she needed to focus on Tarock's location. She leveled her hand at the young warrior who'd been the bane of her existence to fire a shot…

…and didn't take it.

Maeve sank to her knees and gathered what little strength she still had. Tarock and her little cohorts were fighting the monsters trying to kill her people. That meant for that for now, they could be tolerated.

* * *

><p>"<strong>Woe! Aqua Burst!<strong>" said the Fate Driver as power gathered in Tarock's enhanced Sea Hand and then fired a sphere of watery energy almost half as tall as she was into the crowd of Mythos. The first it hit were smashed to the ground before it disappeared into the crowd of monstrous shapes. Hisses of anger went up as some turned away from their attempt to push into the palace to see who was attacking from behind, and then a gang of monsters saw Tarock and broke away to attack her too.

Again she gathered her strength for a devastating attack, but even as she did her arms and shoulders were starting to sting from all the power she'd been drawing on to get this far. But she was almost there…there couldn't be many more between her and Lost.

"**Dire Fate! Depth Pressure Kick!**" She jumped high and energy surrounded her. When Tarock crashed down in the middle of the attacking Mythos the incredible pressure of the bottom of the ocean exploded outward and blasted most of them into the clouds of noxious smoke. Two, a scaly humanoid with webbed hands and feet and a gray-skinned beast with stubby wings, landed hard, but only wounded, and got up to attack Tarock again. Before they got the chance she switched to her close-combat powers.

"**Swords Suit!**" Her yellow Cups armor shattered and a red card drifted over her body, sheathing her black undersuit in the heavier armor of her Swords Form. Tarock swept her hand in front of her belt and once again her sword, Skycalibur, appeared. She knocked the winged Mythos away with a powerful slash that filled the air with sparks, and her slash to the scaly monster knocked it into the air before it burst into smoke.

Suddenly the cloud of smoke changed direction and blew past Tarock, who spun around clutching her sword and expecting to see a new threat, and only stopped thinking she might be until she saw who was behind them. It was Vaga, behind someone wearing a hooded black cloak and a huge silvery scythe-like blade covering one hand. They looked up at Tarock and she could see one side of a skull-shaped mask, or at least she assumed it was a mask with how the material looked an awful lot like actual bone. The blue smoke from the Mythos's death blew into the recesses of the person's cloaked and disappeared. But Tarock's attention was focused on the tremendous power she felt exuding from this person. Power of darkness, emptiness. Inescapable power.

"Who the hell are you?" Tarock demanded.

"Someone who's come a very long way to see you again," said a thickly distorted voice from behind the skull-mask.

"Her name's Trideka," Vaga said, then dashed in front of her and clasped Tarock on the shoulders. "Are you okay, Liss? What was that thing that pulled you underground?"

Tarock pulled away. "Never mind. Lost's in there somewhere, we need to finish this up and find her before they get her!" She turned back to the Mythos swarm but stopped at the sight of who was at the head of another group.

The shiny black armor with the feline helmet was unmistakable as Leone's, but it glinted like new and showed none of the damage it had taken during her previous fight with Tarock. "Well _hello_!" said the voice of the White Lady with mock enthusiasm. "How _have_ you been, Tarock? Oh, I see you're wondering how I recovered from our last little meeting so quickly! Well, that's the beauty of being one yet so many…all I had to do was have a few of my children give me their essence to heal this body. And it's why you'll never get through this crowd and into that pitiful little house of state before I've gotten what I want."

"Let me just ask one thing before I kick your ass," Tarock said. "Why? Why do you act like you're having so much fun doing this? I saw what you were before…do you think you're some kind of goddess who's here to punish us or something?"

"Oh, no! For the longest time the only thing I had on what passed for a mind was survival, as it is for any living thing. But while I was trapped underground I could see what your kind were doing, how they treated one another, and what most of you were happy to turn a blind eye toward. Monsters are everywhere, children! Most of them don't even have claws or scales or fangs. I learned a lot from what I watched. I learned I could still seek survival, but I learned about something you lesser beings have called _satisfaction_," the White Lady answered. Then long claws flashed from Leone's fingertips and she turned into a dark blur that crossed the distance between them in a heartbeat and lashed her claws across Tarock's chest and sent sparks fountaining up.

Ven and Donis turned as Tarock cried out in pain, but more monsters broke away from the crowd and surrounded them. Vaga fired an arrow from his crossbow but Leone sliced it out of the air then blurred at him next. But another black blur stopped her short, and Leone found herself staring into the bottomless black eye sockets ofTrideka's skull mask.

Trideka's scythe seemed to flash before it swung forward and cut through Leone's chest plate even as the corrupted Arcanum darted back to escape her enemy. "What are you?" the White Lady asked.

"An envoy," Trideka answered before she flew along the ground after Leone, slicing through her dark armor again. Leone blurred back but Trideka followed and easily knocked her down with a kick. Leone got up and raced away, concocting a new strategy as it was obvious she was facing an opponent far superior to anything she'd expected. In the time it took to blink Trideka had hacked through her armor three more times, and Leone retreated to the crowd of Mythos that was halfway across the plaza now trying to push its way into the palace, and as she passed one monster it suddenly melted into a mound of black slime that flowed over Leone's body and mended her armor again.

Trideka followed after her, easily matching her incredible speed, and lashed out with her fearsome scythe that cleaved through three monsters and swatted Leone to the ground. The smoke from the monsters' demise flowed into Trideka's cloak but she didn't even seem to notice, closing in on her main prey instead. Leone had just gotten into a sitting position when Trideka appeared in front of her and impaled her through the chest on the scythe.

Desperately Leone flexed her muscles and one of her lion-shaped energy blasts flew from her visor into Trideka and exploded in a yellow firestorm. It cleared in a second and Trideka stood where she was totally unscathed except for a trail of fire on her cloak that burned without spreading.

But suddenly a thin white crack formed on her right arm and ran from the grip of her scythe up to her shoulder. Light started to shine through and spidery paths spread out from the first crack across her chest and down her side. She cried out in pain suddenly and Leone was able to shake free from the scythe and speed away to the safety of the Mythos crowd.

"What's going on?" Tarock asked, still looking Trideka over suspiciously.

"It's too much…my body's starting to break down," Trideka gasped. "Liss, the leader of the Mythos hasn't arrived to take Lost away yet…destroy these creatures and protect her before it's too late!"

"You'll never get the chance!" the White Lady screamed through Leone, who once again was wearing perfectly restored armor. Two monsters Tarock recognized all too well from her earliest battles with the Mythos stood at her sides. The first was a fanged vampire with huge bat-like wings, and the second a humanoid scorpion covered in chitin armor with pincers instead of hands and a barbed tail rising up from his back, rushed to her side, already starting to lose their forms as they did. They flowed together with Leone whose body was surrounded with a red glow. Bat wings erupted from her back and a long barbed tail below it.

Suddenly a deafening scream went up, so intense Tarock dropped her sword to cover her ears for what good it would do. It was the sound of all the Mythos in the plaza crying out as one by one, they started to melt back into the black slime from which they'd spawned. For just a second Tarock thought maybe whatever power had brought them to life had left them, but then her blood ran cold when she realized that as they melted the slime they reverted to was flowing in Leone's direction.

Next to Tarock, Trideka had suddenly disappeared as if she'd never been there. But Leone was, wings spread wide, and the giant pool of Mythos essence rose up like a wave and crashed down on top of her.

"**Dire Fate! Final Ascend!**" Tarock's Fate Driver said as she charged the Skycalibur sword over her head and started to bring it down and unleash her attack before whatever was happening to Leone could finish. The black slime surged high and formed itself into a tornado around Leone's body, spinning faster and faster and sending out a terrific force that blew Tarock and Vaga off their feet and Ven and Donis out of the air.

Behind Leone, Tarock could see the city guards finish hurrying the people they'd been trying to defend into the palace and shut the huge double doors behind them. At least they were safe for the moment.

But Tarock knew she wasn't. The black slime was solidifying into a giant four-legged shape, thirty feet high at the shoulder at least. It had the face and body of a powerful lion, but its teeth and eyes were a dark red, like the plates of armor covering its chest and belly. Leathery black wings spread from its back, blotting out the light in the plaza. Then an orange scorpion's tail whipped up from the back, its stinger glowing menacingly.

"What the hell is that?" Tarock croaked.

"It's called a Manticore, I think," Vaga said.

The monster fixed them with his evil glare and roared, the sound so intense it felt like swarms of bullets were peppering their armor. Then it lunged forward, scattering Tarock and her allies in all directions.

* * *

><p>The bannister seemed to rise up and slam into Lost's side, and she grabbed onto it with what little strength she had.<p>

The sounds of monsters in the halls had long since faded away but now she thought she could hear what sounded like the fearful murmuring of people below her instead. Lost felt a terrible desire to reach them and try to gain their help, but how could she be sure it wasn't another trick after one of those Changelings had broken her out of her cell? She still wasn't sure what had happened to it or her other guards after she started to vomit up black slime and eventually passed out, but why question a blessing like that?

She lurched down one step, then another, then something shook the entire palace, scattering pieces of stone from the ceiling and knocking Lost off her feet. Everything turned into a blur as she went bumping and rolling down the stairs until she landed in a painful sprawl at the next landing down. She crawled to the edge and peeked through the supports of the railing, afraid of what she might see in the room below, but almost cried in relief as she saw more people than she could count crowded into the entrance hall downstairs.

Lost tried to call out to them but her throat her was too raw after retching up so much slime she'd actually fainted. The building shook again and thin jets of dust feel from the ceiling, which would've drowned out anything Lost had to say anyway.

But she couldn't pay much attention to the pebbles bouncing off her neck and shoulders. All at once there was a flash in her mind, like a rod of red-hot metal had been shoved through it. Lost stared straight ahead for a second while seeing nothing, until the pain subsided a second later.

When her head cleared Lost was sure of two things. First that Liss was nearby and in terrible danger. Second, so was someone else, and Lost was the one in terrible danger.

* * *

><p>The saw-toothed edge of the Ace version of Skycalibur had only just formed before Manticore swiped at Tarock with a paw twice as tall as she was. She planted her feet and held out her blade to meet the attack, the paw crashing into it and pushing Tarock back so hard sparks flew from the soles of her boots. He hardly seemed to even notice the blade biting into his leg. As her feet started to sting Tarock cried out and jumped as high as she could, right next to the monster's eye. She was about to plunge her sword into it when he twisted his head and his gaping mouth was next to her instead. As he swung his head forward to eat her alive she braced her legs against a giant tooth and vaulted backwards.<p>

On the ground Vaga peppered Manticore's chest with his bowgun, but his shots just glanced off the huge monster's armor. Donis hovered behind him and loosed an arrow from his own bow. It flew through the air and exploded against Manticore's armor, leaving a small fracture.

"What do we do?" Vaga gasped in disbelief. He'd fought a few giant Mythos before, but those were monsters. This huge, armor-plated beast nothing short of a nightmare. His power felt like nothing as he looked up into the monster's face with a mouth big enough to swallow him whole and fangs that looked like they could stab right through his armor.

"We fight, of course," Tarock said and looked back and forth over the Mythos trying to find any weak spot at all. Manticore's tail whipped up and a ball of white light shot from its stinger. Vaga and Tarock scattered but it slammed into the ground and gave a deafening explosion that hurled them both a hundred feet through the air before crashing and rolling another ten across the ground. Tarock tried to peel her aching body off the ground but Manticore raised one gigantic paw and slammed it down onto her back, pounding hunks of rock and dust into the air as Tarock was driven clear into the ground.

As he lifted it up again Tarock vainly tried to push herself onto her back to at least be able to wield her weapon. Manticore didn't give her the chance, pounding her another five feet into the ground with another slam of his gigantic paw. This time he dragged it back and forth, grinding her into the dirt. Again he lifted up his paw.

"**NO!**" Vaga screamed and ran forward firing his crossbow. Again and again the arrows flashed out and again and again Manticore paid no attention to them at all as they bounced off his huge body. Donis fired off an arrow of his own, only for it to do nothing but send a tiny chunk of its armor falling off.

"It's no good! There's no vulnerable point on this monster!" Donis called.

"Or maybe we just can't see it," replied Vaga. "**Change Trosik!**" Power traveled down Vaga's body changing his green armor blue and tracing circuit-like patterns over his arms and legs. A golden disc engraved with arcane symbols formed on his chest. His eyes flashed and everything changed. Or rather, everything could be seen as it actually was.

Time seemed to have stopped around Vaga. Everything seemed to have dissolved into a blue-white haze. Even though he could still see outlines it was the lines of power underneath, connecting everything as bits of light ran through them on their way to places that even as he was, Vaga couldn't begin to imagine.

But now, maybe due to gaining greater control over this power, or maybe just due to the danger to Liss, everything seemed clearer than ever to Vaga's eyes. He could see the lines running up and down Manticore's body and saw one point near the center of the monster's chest where a large number of the lines converged, and the glow at the point where they met every few seconds was almost blinding.

And right in front of it he could see a thin, nearly invisible weak spot where the armor plates on its body met.

Vaga jumped at the monster, words forming in his mind. "**RO…TA! Render!**" The disc on his chest spun, becoming a blur, and by instinct Vaga touched his right hand to it, covering it in gold light. He chopped at the weakness he saw, and the power he gathered was unleashed. His arm left a bright trail in the air and split the armor plating on Manticore's chest just below his jaw. But Vaga's attack didn't stop at the armor, and bit into Manticore's chest too. The giant beast roared out deafeningly as Vaga cleaved deep into his body with blue ooze spraying out from the wound.

As soon as Vaga landed his armor flickered away and he collapsed, the strain of his last attack exhausting him completely. Manticore's tail whipped high and the tip glowed as it aimed a shot to end the life of the human who'd the audacity to hurt him.

Donis gasped in terror as Manticore readied himself to fire on Ben, who had no protection anymore. As fast as his powers allowed Donis flew in front of Manticore and fired an arrow from his bow straight into the gaping wound Ben had created with his final attack. It had only had time to charge to half power, but as the arrow exploded inside Manticore's wound the monster's tail swung to the side and the energy ball that shot from its stinger flew wide and exploded somewhere over the tops of the buildings at the edge of the square. The very air shook with the force of the explosion.

But Manticore roared angrily and his tail swung forward again, its stinger glowing. Donis choked. Ben still wasn't moving, and the Bough of Grace in his hands was dark after he'd used all the power it had been building up in his last shot. The monster fired another shot…

…and then his wife was hovering by his side, and seized his armored hand in hers. For a second they glanced down at Ben, and then at Tarock behind the monster who was just managing to get to her knees. Two strangers who'd seemed like enemies, but had come to their city and fought its invaders anyway. No words passed between the two, but they didn't move as Manticore roared, blowing them back a few feet with its force, and fired its stinger.

The energy ball was even bigger than the one they'd just seen and seemed to scream as it shot out to engulf them. Ven and Donis clutched their heads and said from the bottom of their hearts, "**Twilight Convergence!**"

Waves of black and white power swirled from Ven and Donis's hands, forming a glistening ball around them. Manticore's energy ball crashed into the edge and a horrible whine filled the air as it tried to burn its way inside. Ven and Donis concentrated only on each other, on the feelings they'd fought to recover since agreeing to take on these powers. The energies swirling around them spread wider and pushed harder against Manticore's attack. The whine of their energies colliding grew even louder, and then everything turned a searing white.

Nema and Lurian rolled to a bone-jarring stop not far from where Ben lay, their armor gone and the bracelet each wore blackened and crumbling off their wrists already.

Manticore lifted one giant paw to crush them once and for all when a storm of glowing swords and knives landed against his neck. He turned with an angry growl to see Tarock running in his direction. She jumped to her side, vaulted off the side of a building and aimed herself at the gaping wound Ben had made.

"**Ace High! Thunder Cleave!**" Electricity crackled up and down the curved blade of her sword, and with a strength born of anger, fear and desperation Tarock screamed as she swung Skycalibur in a wide arc and released the power she'd summoned. A wave of yellow energy formed in the path of her swing and ripped into Manticore's gaping wound.

The monster screamed as Tarock's attack pierced its armor and shot through its body. Lightning curved in terrible arcs coming up from Manticore's legs, back, wings, even from the tip of one huge red tooth to another. Giant red burns formed at the ends of the electrical arcs, and soon waves of choking blue smoke were coming off Manticore's body.

Tarock hit the ground in the crouch and her armor faded away, her strength spent. A sheet of noxious smoke rolled off Manticore and came crashing into her, so heavy it almost knocked her down, but Liss covered her mouth and ran for what little she was still worth in the direction she remembered the palace being. The double doors had been shaken partly off their hinges by the force of Manticore's powerful blasts and there was an open space where the doors met Liss managed to crawl through and found herself in a large entrance hall packed with scared-looking people. Three people in tarnished armor of the city guard accosted her until she waved her transformation cards at them, then shoved them out of her way and limped up the stairs behind them.

"Lost?" Liss called out as she climbed. She peered down a hallway and called down it, then froze as she saw something dark slipping through the next doorway up the hall. Liss was sure it was another Mythos who'd stayed behind to ambush someone, until she almost didn't hear the hoarse cry that followed.

"Liss…help me…!"

She staggered as quickly as she could to the doorway and saw a pair of lizard-like Mythos with long tails and wings sprouting from their shoulders dragging Lost between them to another door at the end of the hall. And standing on a wide circular balcony outside the door was the White Lady herself, and as always her red eyes seemed to burn straight into Liss's soul.

"Hold it!" Liss demanded, but the pair of monsters didn't listen and only dragged Lost out onto the balcony. Liss staggered out onto the balcony behind them and loaded the Swords Card into her belt, but nothing happened. Had the Fate Driver been damaged again, or was she just too weak to make it work?

The two monsters heaved Lost at the feet of the White Lady, who didn't waste a second slipping down and reaching out for Lost. But as their hands were about to make contact they started to bubble and melt together. Lost screamed and tried to pull away but didn't have the strength. Liss tried to charge past the two monsters but at the same time they lashed out with their scaled fists, connected with her stomach and face and knocked her into the air for a few feet.

By then Lost and the White Lady were starting to flow together at the torso. "Liss, HELP!" Lost screamed but her voice started to bubble. In another few seconds the two of them had melted into a black puddle, and the two lizard Mythos melted back into the slime they'd come from and flowed together with what Lost and the White Lady had become.

But what that was hadn't finished changing. The puddle bubbled and suddenly swelled upward into a giant black bubble, then limbs stretched out, two bird-like legs from the bottom and two wings erupted from the top. A long, sloping neck formed from the top with a single glistening red eye in the center of the almost unnoticeable head at the end.

"You set me back quite a lot, Liss Decker," came the voice of the White Lady, but deep and distorted, and sounding directly inside Liss's exhausted mind instead of reaching her ears. "But in the end I was too much for you after all."

"You say that like I'm already dead," Liss choked.

"Aren't you?" the White Lady retorted. "Everything falls into me, everything is absorbed. Now that I'm finally whole again, it's only a matter of time.

"Oh, you thought you were proving how _strong_ you were, how much you _mattered_, didn't you?" the White Lady went on. "Girl, the first Tarock had been fighting me for _years_ before he managed what he did. He had help from veteran warriors, including some of the most powerful of the Arcana. You thought you'd just put on his belt and just like that you'd be the savior of the world? No, of two worlds I suppose! You annoyed me, Liss Decker. You cost me a fair amount of stockpiled essence. But in the end, that was all. I am whole, and soon I will be strong. And you'll be a tiny part of that strength."

The winged monster stomped over to where Liss lay and tried to grab her with one foot. Suddenly Liss rolled over and pulled a long sliver of stone out of her coat and stabbed it between the monster's toes. It screeched in surprise, then Liss jumped up and screamed as she rammed her shoulder into the bottom of its raised foot with the last of her strength. Perhaps exhaustion was wearing on her mind, but even now, without power, and with Lost and the White Lady merged into this thing, Liss felt determined to save the poor helpless girl who'd asked her for help…

It jumped back and flailed its wings, thrown off-balance by Liss's surprise attack. Finally it toppled over backward and rolled to the edge of the balcony. There was a deep, terrifying groan of stone on stone and the balcony started to crumble beneath their feet.

There was a last crash and Liss felt herself flying. Something slammed into her side and there was a crunch as her left eye went dark. For a second the monster was right next to her as it gained altitude, and its side rippled and formed into a despondent face. Lost's face. Silvery tears fell from it and sizzled as they touched Liss's skin. The last thing she saw before she blacked out completely was the monster gliding away, giving a scream that sounded mocking and victorious at the same time.

* * *

><p>It felt like Liss was falling past images of Lost's sobbing face for ages before a point of light appeared in the distance and started to grow. Eventually she realized she was looking up at a cracked ceiling made of cream-colored stone. Sitting next to her was a woman with flowing blonde hair but bandages wrapped over the top half of her face. Liss tried to sit up but the woman pressed her hands down on Liss's shoulders.<p>

"Stay still, you're still weak," she said in a familiar voice.

"Thena?" Liss said in a voice that sounded too raspy to be her own. "What happened?"

"She caught you after you fell off the roof of the palace," said another voice, and even as Liss's vision cleared it seemed to remain hazy as it took her a minute to recognize the gently smiling white-haired woman she was looking at as Nema, Ven's human form. Even having just woken up, Liss noticed the bracelet Nema had used to transform was gone. "Good thing too, or you would've been smashed to bits."

Liss finally shrugged off Thena's attempt to pin her down and sat up. She was in a wide rectangular room and all across it people were lying in makeshift beds, most looking foraged from junk, with tired-looking people tending to the wounds of the bedridden. "How long's it been?" Liss asked.

"Coming up on the end of the third day," Thena answered her.

"Did you go after the monster?" Liss asked next.

"It was already out of sight after I saved you," Thena replied gently.

Liss sighed and fell back, closing her eyes. "Of course it was." Her stomach growled at her and her arms and legs felt too stiff to move again. She opened her eyes and looked up at Thena and Nema, trying to judge if she was really sure this was really the aftermath of that horrific attack on the city and not some kind of delusion. But as she did, she noticed the faint gray sheen covering everything.

"What…what's wrong with my eyes?"

Nema looked down at Liss, over at Thena and then back down at Liss as if searching for the answer to the question. Thena answered for her. "Your left eye was completely destroyed. The Empress insisted the best doctors we still have be put in charge of that, and they attached an Ora Stone to the socket. It's not quite natural, though, so-"

"There's a damn crystal in my head," Liss moaned. "Oh god…it's true, isn't it? After all that she got away and I have a damn crystal in my head…Give me a mirror."

Nema complied, handing Liss a hand mirror with some slivers missing from around the edges. Indeed, Liss's left eye was gone, and a milky white orb of crystal occupying the socket. Next to it was a patch of raw red scar tissue covering the skin from her eye to the top of her ear, which was flat across the top now after a slice of flesh had been chopped off by whatever the monster had done to her face. The weirdest thing was a string of circular silver spots on her left cheek and down her neck before disappearing into her shirt. Liss knew what those were; tears of the girl at the center of all this chaos, who she'd failed to protect.

"Your intervention spared many of our peoples' lives," Thena replied calmly.

"Yeah, until she comes back," Liss sighed. "Where's my stuff?" she asked, and Thena pushed a cloth bag into her hands. In it were the Fate Driver, looking a little scuffed but intact, and all four of her transformation cards.

"Liss! You really are up!" a voice called and she looked up to see Ben running over to her. He looked at her with nothing but relief, and carried a white paper bag in one hand that he held out for her. Even with getting used to a new eye, she recognized the logo on the grease-stained bag, and grabbed it away from Ben like it was the only thing that could save her life.

She tore the wrapper off a double Sandy Burger and bit deep into the calorie bomb. Another bite, a deep swallow and she took a long sip of the icy lemon-lime drink Ben had brought for her too. After all the chaos she'd been through, something familiar was exactly what she needed. Liss didn't even care how bad for her it was supposed to be.

"So that's where you went," Nema said, wrinkling her nose at the scent of the combo meal Liss was wolfing down.

"What?" Liss asked.

"When you started to wake up, he said you'd want something from home to get your strength back," Thena replied emotionlessly.

"You were watching me sleep?" Liss asked, taken slightly aback.

"So were they," Ben said, indicating Thena and Nema with a wave of his arm. "They wanted to make sure the great heroine who saved all their butts was okay," he said a little proudly like he wasn't afraid to embellish it. "Won't be too long before they need us again, right?"

Nema started to say something but Liss held up her hands for quiet. "Thanks, Ben," she said quietly and polished off her burger. He looked slightly awestruck at hearing her gratitude for a second, but nodded. Liss got up off the bed then, slung the bag with her Rider items over her shoulder and walked toward the door. She had to get away, away from this decimated city where she'd failed to save a critical asset. A friend.

"Ben, if they need to know anything about what we were doing, tell them, okay? I need to get the hell away from here…"

On the way out a ray of light glanced off her new eye and Liss froze as she saw a figure in a ragged robe, looking at her forlornly before disappearing again.

Liss hurried out of the building even faster.

* * *

><p>It had been days since Paige Decker had received any word from her crazy younger sister, but she'd been trying to stay positive in the lack of news. When she turned the corner and the garage came into sight, though, she let slip an "Oh, shit."<p>

Sitting by the front door was a dark-haired girl curled into the fetal position, and as Paige came a little closer she recognized the girl that looked a lot like her younger sister but with a blank white eye and a tattoo or something of silver bubbles on her cheek below it. Liss stood up and waited by the door as Paige approached. "What happened?" Paige asked quietly as she unlocked the door.

"I blew it," Liss said.

"Oh yeah?" Paige asked, staying calm, not judging or remonstrating. "What happened, Liss?"

And Liss told her. All about Lost's role in the creation of Mythos monsters and the White Lady setting out to capture her to join Lost's power to create those monsters to the White Lady's own power to control them. About Liss's attempts to find a cure, about Lost being taken by the Empress, and Liss and Ben joining in the devastating attack that led to Lost and the White Lady merging into a single being who escaped from Liss despite all she'd done to try to prevent it.

Paige set a cup of coffee from the garage's ancient coffee maker in front of Liss. "You're seeing images of this girl now? Because of that?" Paige asked, gently indicating Liss's new eye.

"Yeah," Liss sighed. "Just twice, but it looks like she's asking why I didn't save her. I don't know if I'm really seeing Lost or if I'm going crazy…"

Paige pushed the coffee toward Liss again. "Do you _think_ you're going crazy? I mean, you have been through a hell of a lot for somebody your age, sounds like. That might really get to you."

"I'm not crazy," Liss said and took a sip from the coffee. "I don't know how this thing works yet, and nobody knows what Lost was originally…some kind of demon in space or something. But the point is I blew it. The White Lady got what she wanted…Lost's gone."

"Is she?" Paige asked.

"What?"

Paige shrugged. "Well, I have no idea how this works either, but if you're seeing her maybe she isn't really gone? Maybe she can really make some kind of contact with you, and maybe that means you can still save her."

Liss looked up at her older sister. Liss was tired, so very, unbelievably tired. She'd felt so defeated after losing Lost and being maimed in the process. But maybe it was turning out to be a blessing in disguise.

"Maybe," Liss said. "But right now I need to get my shit together. Then I'll figure out what to do next."

Paige nodded. "Then I guess that means you're free to help me get this POS running," she said, and jerked her thumb into the vehicle bay. Inside was a red SUV with a cracked windshield and rust coating the bottom of the doors.

"Guess I am," Liss said.

* * *

><p>Night had long since set in over the town, but the lights were still on in the top floor of the dilapidated building Carl Stanford was converting into a regional office. He had a very important meeting to take that night.<p>

The man seated in front of Stanford's desk was so tall and broad at the shoulders he'd actually needed to duck and turn sideways to get through the door. His light blond hair was done in a crewcut, while his face seemed to be a perfect rectangle with a pronounced lantern jaw. It almost seemed to Stanford as if it had been chiseled out of rock. With what he knew of the man's background, it wasn't a possibility Stanford entirely ruled out.

"Glad to have you here," Stanford said to his guest. "Especially considering the hour. I'm sorry I had to insist; we need to get this going as soon as possible."

The huge man waved it off. "I'm used to stranger hours than this. My father kept some very interesting company. I'd guess you do as well, Mr. Stanford, by the look of…" He trailed off, but waved his hand vaguely around the right side of his face.

Stanford laughed good-naturedly. It was true that he wore a gauze pad covering everything to the right of his nose except his eye now. His glasses were tilted slightly on his face because of the thickness of the pad. "Let's say I've been working myself pretty hard lately getting everything ready. Scouting the area and the…local talent."

"Ah yes, the 'local talent'. Except they haven't been seen much around here lately, have they, though? Up to something of earthshaking importance, I suppose."

"Yes indeed," replied Stanford. "In a mystifying place called the Sphere. If you're interested in our offer you can learn all about it just as I have."

The huge man steepled his fingers thoughtfully. "You do make an…interesting offer, Mr. Stanford. But my brothers and I are involved in a very particular pursuit, and I need to tell them I've seen something more substantial than a few lurid stories. If what you've got to tell me about is merely 'interesting,' I think the civil thing would be not to take up anymore of each other's time."

"So you're saying the resources we've made it clear we have aren't enough to pique your curiosity?" Stanford asked.

"If you mean those things sneaking around in the sewers," the huge man replied with a condescending smile, as if taking amusement in avoiding specifics, "yes, I know about those, and we have access to that sort of thing already. Have had for some time. I'm afraid I need more than that."

"You'd prefer something more tangible, then?" Stanford asked and from out of nowhere produced a white staff with a throbbing purple crystal at the top. A strange light entered Stanford's eyes as he held it up, and with each throb the feeling of a great, insubstantial power filled the office.

"There are more like this," Stanford explained. "The hearts of beings with great power. _Immortals _of great power. And most of them are up for grabs right now. My benefactor is looking for loyal lieutenants to share in the greatest of power she has to offer, sir. Does that, maybe, interest you?"

The huge man chortled, but then extended his hand. "All right, you've piqued my curiosity."

Stanford held out his hand in return. "Well…Ivan Gebok Tawanovitch, welcome to Silver Light."

**End Book Four**

* * *

><p><strong>First off, allow me to extend my gratitude to Kamen Rider Chrome for letting me sneak in a little link to his work in the person of Carl Stanford's new hire. Thanks again.<strong>

**Second, hope everybody enjoyed the latest arc even if it was kind of short. Things are about to get harder for the Riders, but Liss at least isn't giving up. I'm planning on a couple little side projects for Tarock, so I hope you'll look forward to those too. One's a little thing I'm calling "Past Influences." It'll make sense when it's up.**

**Third, to make it easier to keep it all straight I'm planning to split the next part of Kamen Rider Tarock into its own story. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

><p>With this being the close of a major event in the story, I thought I'd do a rundown on the Riders the story has, especially since more are on the way.<p>

Up first is of course **Tarock** herself, Liss Decker, delinquent turned mystical hero. She has four different forms, via cards created from the sacred objects of the four tribes the Sphere's human population originally formed. They are **Swords** (which is a little bit of everything: pretty strong, pretty fast, pretty tough), **Pentacles** (her power type, strong and tough but slow), **Cups** (fast but built around making powerful ranged attacks), and **Wands** (blindingly fast but weak).

Her closest ally for the time being is **Vaga**, her ex-boyfriend Ben Corland. He chased down the Arcanum named Jack when Liss was missing and a new champion needed, and browbeat Jack into allowing him to be that new champion. As a Rider his powers are fairly well-balanced with him not specializing in any one thing, and his weapon of choice is able to change into a sword, spear or crossbow. Recently he gained a second form, **Trosik**, which lacks physical power but can lines connecting everything in existence, which allows him to make small alterations to things happening around him or sense where weaknesses exist. Unless he completely gives up his humanity like the power's previous wielder, though, he'll probably never master it or be able to use it without badly exhausting himself.

Then there are **Ven** and **Donis**, or Nema and Lurian. They were a couple whose marriage was being torn apart by the stresses of the war with the Mythos, who were contacted by Arcana representing Lovers, who bestowed power to them to get rid of Tarock and bring honor back to their empire. Ven had the power to split into five copies of herself while Donis had an ability to see where his attacks would be most effective (not nearly as great as Ben's Trosik form, though). Later they were respectively armed with the **Dark Gasher** dagger and **Bough of Grace** bow. Their strongest power was the **Twilight Convergence** when they joined their energies and created a power sphere capable of giant explosions. They abandoned their former benefactors after Tarock let them go even though she had them at her mercy and managed to mend their relationship. Unfortunately their henshin bracelets were destroyed in this chapter.

Most recent and mysterious is **Trideka**, who represents Death itself. We've only begun to see her power, but it seems to dwarf anything anyone, Rider or Mythos, has shown yet. But she can only use it for a short time before her body starts breaking down and she needs to leave and recover. Tarock's sure to need her help. She might be even more surprised when she meets Trideka without her mask, though.

Sorry if it seems like kind of a depressing note to end on, but the fight's not over. Rest assured of that.


End file.
